THE chief executive of the multi-academy trust set to take over a failing school has been accused of not declaring an interest when he was appointed as a governor at the school.

Phil Rimmer, executive headteacher Rowan Learning Trust, became a governor at Prestwich Arts College last year.

But chair of governors, Cllr Eamonn O'Brien, claims that the trust had not been identified as a potential sponsor for the school when Mr Rimmer was appointed.

He said: "There is now a pecuniary interest which has been declared to governors and is publicly available to see on the website. Mr Rimmer has been a fantastic addition to our governing body and is using his many years of experience to support our plans for rapid improvement in the school's performance."

Bury Council found no "irregularity" in the process but reminded the school to keep its published information up to date.

The campaign group opposed to turning the school into an academy has called on Mr Rimmer to apologise.

A campaign spokesman said: "The campaign completely disagrees with Cllr O’Brien's comments.

"Phil Rimmer was the executive headteacher at the time of his appointment as a governor to Prestwich Arts College in July, he had officially taken up the role of CEO of the Rowan Learning Trust on September 1, 2019.

"The campaign acknowledges he was not CEO at the time, but this does not mean he wasn’t already interviewed and appointed to the role of CEO for September."