The leader of Northumberland County Council is hoping his administration can move forward after a payout deal with the chief executive was reached.
The council will pay Daljit Lally £209,000 to end her employment following a drawn-out row between her and the administration going back almost two years.
It comes after the Max Caller report claimed "effective working relationships do not exist between the CEO and the cabinet," and that it was "common ground between the Chief Executive herself and the leaders of the political parties that the improvement journey is not one she can lead on".