The leader of Herefordshire Council has dismissed calls for him to resign over the state of the county’s children’s services.

I will not be resigning,” Coun David Hitchiner said. “What is required at this time is stable leadership to move forward with the improvements.”

The department was last month given an “inadequate” rating across the board by the official inspector Ofsted, despite Government intervention to put it right over a year ago.

Coun Hitchiner said problems with the department “are deep-rooted and long-standing and did not begin during my period as leader of the council”.

“I have acknowledged publicly that the improvements will take time,” he said. “We are fully committed to making the changes needed to make a difference for children and families in Herefordshire.”

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Angeline, who runs the A Common Bond group of Herefordshire families impacted by the department’s shortcomings, had tweeted: “I am calling on behalf of all parents for David Hitchiner to resign from his position.”

And a meeting at the council’s headquarters on Friday to discuss the Ofsted report, Coun Terry James said: “The lack of accountability is appalling. The only person who has said ‘sorry’ to parents is the chief executive [Paul Walker], who probably has the least to apologise for in this miserable saga.

“The leader of the council is telling families: ‘I don’t deal with individual cases’. The sooner someone takes account, and senior councillors consider their position, and resign from their posts [the better].”

But Coun Hitchiner said: “I am unable to speak in public about individual cases for risk of breaching issues of confidentiality.

“However, I do speak with families in private and, with their permission, follow these up with the director of children’s services.”