Three senior officials to leave Aberdeen City Council

Three senior officials are to leave their roles at Aberdeen City Council.

The local authority said Richard Ellis was leaving on Friday at the end of his contract.

Ciaran Monaghan and Ewan Sutherland are both going under a voluntary redundancy and early retirement scheme.

Stephen Flynn, the leader of the opposition SNP group, said the departures were indicative of the council's inability to hold on to senior staff.

He said he expected further departures in the coming months.

Mr Ellis is the council's former interim director of corporate governance, and has also been acting as deputy chief executive for several months.

Mr Monaghan is head of the chief executive's office, while Mr Sutherland is head of human resources and customer services.

Council chief executive Angela Scott thanked the trio for their "dedication and professionalism".