Arts jobs to go in shake-up; DIRECTOR QUITTING AS MERGER PLANS MOVE CLOSER.

Byline: DAN WARBURTON

AN arts chief is leaving his post as a restructure goes on.

The Arts Council's Mark Robinson, executive director for the North East, tried to quell fears that the region might lose its voice in national arts decisionmaking.

He was appointed nearly five years ago and has worked for the organisation for nearly a decade.

The shake-up means other arts posts in the region will be axed.

In Newcastle, the equivalent of 37 fulltime posts is to be reduced to 24 as Arts Council England seeks to reduce the duplication of services across the four new areas.

Mr Robinson and counterparts in Yorkshire and the North West were given the chance to apply for the new, more senior role of area executive director for the North as the nine Arts Council England regions are put into four larger areas.

But Mr Robinson told staff and Arts Council clients that he had decided not to apply for the job and to leave the organisation in due course.

He said: "It's not been an easy decision to make, but it feels like the right thing for me to do to make a change at this point. I'm not sure yet what 'in due course' will be, so I expect to be around for a good while yet.

"The new structure will not come into play fully until April 2010 but some things may change before then, I guess."

Mr Robinson's decision leaves open the possibility that the most senior Arts Council official in a region encompassing the North West, Yorkshire and the North East will be based in Manchester or Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

Staff at the Arts Council England, North East office in Central Square, Newcastle, have been told that their jobs are at risk as the organisation nationally tries to cut costs by 15% by 2010/11.

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ON HIS WAY: The Arts Council's Mark Robinson has decided to leave as the organisation is restructured