A finance chief at Perth and Kinross Council is leaving to take on a new unpaid role at the Scottish Crannog Centre.
David Littlejohn is retiring as the council’s strategic lead for economy, planning and development.
His surprise appointment as voluntary chairman of the Crannog Centre’s board of trustees was announced at a council meeting on Wednesday.
Bosses at the Kenmore attraction say they are “absolutely over the moon” at the move.
It comes as the venue battles to get back on to a sound financial footing following a catastrophic fire in 2021.
‘Well-connected and a nice man’: David Littlejohn gets Crannog seal of approval
Mr Littlejohn has overseen some of the biggest projects in living memory in Perth and Kinross.
Highlights include the opening of Perth Museum and the construction of the Cross Tay Link Road, which is on course to open later this year.
However, he has also been involved in controversies, such as the decision to close Bell’s Sports Centre.
Scottish Crannog Centre director Mike Benson said museum bosses are thrilled to welcome someone of Mr Littlejohn’s calibre.
“We are a little bit humbled and a little bit excited that he has agreed to join us,” he said.
“He gets what we are trying to do here in terms of social justice and things like that.
“But we know we’ve got to be commercially viable too and David is someone who can take us to the next stage.
“He is well connected, well networked. But he is also a nice man, and that’s important too.”
The Scottish Crannog Centre reopened at a new site at Dalerb on Loch Tay last year.
It has been completely rebuilt following the fire which destroyed its replica Iron Age crannog on the other side of the loch in 2021.
Perth and Kinross Council agreed to underwrite the venue with a £50,000 lifeline last November after it emerged it was facing “cash flow challenges due to factors beyond its control”.
Mr Benson said the board would be recruiting five new trustees.
All change at council
This will be Mr Littlejohn’s second attempt at retiring from Perth and Kinross Council.
He announced he was stepping down as strategic lead for economy, planning and development in July last year.
However, he was asked to stay on by chief executive Thomas Glen following the surprise exit of another council boss.
Alison Williams was brought in as director of economy, place and learning last February.
But by August, she had left “to explore new opportunities”.
Her £127,786 position has since been scrapped, shrinking the executive team to just three people.
Questions have been asked about the decision-making and Mr Littlejohn’s role in the process.
Conversation