THE man who helped to turn York around from gloom to boom today announced his early retirement.

Tony Bennett, assistant director for economic development for the City of York Council, will leave on July 21.

Mr Bennett, aged 58, who joined the former York City Council in the planning department in 1975, switched to economic development in the new unitary authority in 1984.

He took control of the department when the city was haemorrhaging jobs in its traditional industries, like chocolate and the railways

Even though ABB, the carriagemakers, collapsed with the loss of 700 jobs in the mid-1990s, he was instrumental in luring Chicago-based coachmakers Thrall Car to set up a European base on the site in Holgate Park.

He also played a pivotal role in smoothing the path of CPP Card Protection Plan in setting up new headquarters on the same site, where today it employs more than 1,000 people.

There were other major shocks, such as the pull-out of Samsung Heavy Industries at Flaxby Moor, the collapse of Tenneco shock absorbers in Rawcliffe, and latterly the closure of Kraft Foods at Terrys.

But by then Mr Bennett had refined the "quick response" systems to absorb the blows for the community by chairing the management group of organisations like Future Prospects, the employment/training advice project.

But he has been more than a firefighter. He was central to negotiating the arrival in York all-important Euro-summit, called Ecofin in 1998 - establishing the city as never before on the European map.

More significantly - and lastingly - he developed the concept of Science City York as the core of a strategy to bring knowledge-based firms and secure employment to the city.

Both he and Professor Tony Robards, the former pro-vice chancellor for external relations at the University of York, launched it in 1998 as joint endeavour between the City of York Council, the university and business - and the effects were stunning.

Since then it has created more than 60 new technology companies and 2,600 new jobs.

Now, with backing from Yorkshire Forward, the project looks like succeeding in Mr Bennett's original aim of generating 15,000 science and technology jobs in York by the year 2021.

Mr Bennett is on the Science City York board and executive.

He also chairs the executive of the First Stop York tourism partnership, is a board member of York and North Yorkshire Business Link and the York, Selby and Malton Business Advice Centre.

He is a member of the Lifelong Learning Partnership Board and works closely with york-england.com, the York-based inward investment organisation for York and North Yorkshire.

On top of this, he co-ordinates the City Council's input into the Regional Economic Strategy.

Married to history teacher, Valerie, Mr Bennett has a daughter Laura.

Updated: 09:57 Wednesday, May 17, 2006