Aberdeen City Council was rocked last night by the shock departure of the woman who has steered its planning strategy for the last 10 years.
Maggie Bochel – who served as the city’s planning chief throughout the controversies over Union Terrace Gardens and Marischal Square – is joining an exodus of senior staff.
Her departure – described as a “devastating blow” – means more than half of the staff in the council’s top management tiers will have left in just two years.
The authority has just completed the latest in a series of restructuring exercises, and since 2013 it has lost four of its six service directors, as well as half of its 16 department heads.
Last year it was claimed that the “dysfunctional” nature of the council was driving staff away after Angela Scott replaced Valerie Watts to become its fifth chief executive in seven years.
Ms Bochel’s decision to leave triggered fresh concerns last night.
The official, who joined Grampian Regional Council in 1990 and has been the city’s head of planning since 2005, will join the law firm Burness Paull as a director in September.
She is quitting just weeks after the council approved its long-awaited city centre masterplan, although major doubts remain over how many of the 49 projects in the blueprint will be delivered.
Councillor Graham Dickson, opposition SNP group spokesman, said she would be a huge loss.
“Losing Maggie Bochel is a devastating blow to the council. She has an exceptionally long record of service for the council and is somebody who knows planning policy better than almost anyone else out there,” he said.
“She has steered the planning department through a number of difficult and challenging times.”
Mr Dickson added: “Clearly this is another high-profile member of staff that has left the council.
“We’ve seen a huge number of long-standing council officers leaving, which has sometimes been disruptive and it’s a pity that we’ve not been able to retain these people who have decided to go for whatever reason.”
Janet Adams, organiser for the GMB union, said: “There seems to be constant changes and obviously you would prefer there were not these changes to keep stability.”
Liberal Democrat group leader Ian Yuill said: “Having had two years of restructuring, it’s important now that the priority is on delivery and having a stable senior management team is an important part of that.
“I certainly wouldn’t be in favour of any more restructuring at this time”.
Ms Bochel’s decision to leave means just three of the council’s 19 heads of service are women, although the tier above that includes Ms Scott, education director Gayle Gorman and chief health officer Judith Proctor.
Tommy Campbell, regional organiser of the Unite trade union, said: “Obviously it’s a disappointing percentage given that there are a lot of women in lower management positions.
“We would want to see the council showing evidence that they are being pro-active in engaging women and people who would be defined by the Equality Act in order to promote people from all backgrounds.”
A spokesman for Aberdeen City Council declined to comment.
However, Labour councillor Willie Young, the local authority’s finance convener, said Ms Bochel had been “a great servant to Aberdeen City Council”.
He added: “Maggie is moving to better herself – that’s what people do.
“It’s a change of career and it’s obviously something she’s interested in pursuing.”