Wirral Council’s interim head of social services Howard Cooper retires

Jan 4 2012 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

WIRRAL’S head of social services has stepped down.

Howard Cooper CBE, interim director of the borough’s adult social services department, and former director of children’s services in Wirral, retired at Christmas.

He will be succeeded by Graham Hodkinson, formerly assistant director of adult and local services at Cumbria County Council.

Mr Cooper was recognised in the Queen’s 2011 New Year’s Honours List with a CBE for services to local government.

Born in Huddersfield, he began his career as a teacher before joining Wirral Council as a senior education inspector in 1990.

In 2003, he was appointed as director of Wirral’s then education and cultural services department, and in 2006, was appointed director of children’s services on Wirral.

Councillor Steve Foulkes, leader of Wirral Council, said: “Howard was due to retire earlier, but stayed on to act as interim director of adult social services during a period of great change and transformation.

“With Howard at the helm, the department has made enormous progress and is now in a much better position to face the challenges of the future.”

His successor Mr Hodkinson was born in Wirral and trained as a social worker in the borough before moving to Cumbria in 1990, where he undertook a number of social work and senior management roles.