First appointments made following creation of unitary local authorities

Helen Sage reports

The first round of legal appointments have taken place following the reorganisation of Avon, Humberside and Cleveland local authorities, and Scotland and Wales, into unitary councils earlier this year.

Bassetlaw District Council in Nottinghamshire is looking for a new head of legal services following the departure of present head Jeffrey Godfrey to the newly created South Gloucestershire Council.

Godfrey who joined Bassetlaw in 1984 will be South Gloucestershire's specialist environment solicitor. He said: "The post will provide new challenges for me as well as allowing me to develop a specialism."

The new North Lincolnshire Council, which is taking over parts of Humberside, has appointed Ken Wood as principal solicitor in charge of child care.

The specialist teams of child care lawyers which existed in Humberside were disbanded when the council broke up. This raised concerns over the provision of child care.

Wood previously ran his own private practice called Beverley & Wood in Scunthorpe. He said: "I wanted relief from the pressures of working in private practice."