Northumberland County Council's public health boss is stepping down after more than six years at the local authority.
Liz Morgan has spent the last three years as director of public health at the council and helped steer the county through the coronavirus pandemic, but will leave at the end of next month.
Tributes were paid to Ms Morgan at Thursday's meeting of the council's health and wellbeing board - Ms Morgan's last in her role - and she was surprised with a bouquet of flowers and a round of applause from the entire board.
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The meeting's chairman, Coun Paul Ezhilchelvan, said: "This is the last meeting for our public health director. She has been with us for six years and three years as our public health director.
"She has done a tremendous service for our council sitting in that position. During that time was the pressing need for a public health director due to the Covid pandemic. I was a new chairman and she more or less acted as my teacher!
"You will be very missed in our future meetings and I really thank you for all the service you have done."
Coun Wendy Pattison, cabinet member for adult wellbeing, added: "I don't want to embarrass you Liz, but I would just like to say, as portfolio holder for public health, you got us beautifully through Covid.
"I can't thank you enough for that, you have been tremendous. I really don't want you to go. It has been a real pleasure."
The council has confirmed that the post has already been advertised, and a new director of public health will be appointed through the Faculty of Public Health approved process in the New Year.
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