The man who oversaw a turnaround in fortunes of Wolverhampton's Civic halls has left his post at the city council.

The authority said today that Mr Blackstock, who has worked for the council for 30 years, had decided to pursue other commercial interests. Wolverhampton council spokesman Tim Clark, said:

“After 30 years employment in various roles with City of Wolverhampton Council, Mark Blackstock has decided to move to the commercial world and the council offer their best wishes for his future.”

Mr Blackstock took over the reigns at the Civic Hall in 1998. The future of the North Street venue was under threat at the time, but under his guidance it started to put on bigger and more varied shows.

Recently he oversaw a major multi-million pound redevelopment that will see an expanded capacity at the Civic Hall when it fully reopens.

The completion date for the job has been pushed back twice due to what council bosses describe as 'additional works'.