I HAVE written previously about Science City York and pronounced on its success, not least in contributing significantly to the city's positive economic performance over the past few years.

Such major initiatives can never depend exclusively on a single person, or even a core group, but they certainly are helped if there can be continuity within an effective management team. Science City York has benefited from keeping its key players over a prolonged period, but recent announcements mean that that is set to change.

Tony Bennett, City of York Council's assistant director for economic development, has announced he is to retire in a couple of months' time.

Tony was one of the founding fathers of Science City York and has nurtured and supported the initiative with immense professionalism.

As a three-way partnership between City of York Council, the University Of York, and the local business community - and more recently with the support of Yorkshire Forward - it has been important that everyone in the Science City York team has been able to understand and appreciate the priorities and constraints of all parties. Universities do not operate like local authorities, and neither of them bears much resemblance to the normal working practices of small businesses. It is a strength of Science City York that there have been continuing efforts to achieve mutual understanding and therefore mutual benefit, and Tony Bennett's central role in this has been crucial.

Now, as Oscar Wilde is reported to have said: "To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness."

So when I report that Science City York's manager, Anna Rooke, will also be leaving within a few weeks you may fear that something is fundamentally wrong at the heart of this important initiative.

Emphatically not so: Anna is emigrating to join her husband in Australia, and, as she told me recently: "Science City York has been my life for such a long time, so it will be exceptionally difficult to move on, but I am looking forward to the challenges of experiencing life Down Under."

Anna said: "Science City York is one of the UK's leading success stories for stimulating growth and prosperity, transforming the city's economy through a partnership approach which has required vision, leadership and a 'can do' philosophy.

"The success of Science City York in generating 2,600 jobs and more than 70 businesses over the last eight years has been based on focusing action on real needs and always putting our customer, York's knowledge-based businesses, first."

"The future for Science City York is bold and exciting, with new activities to be rolled out regionally to accelerate new business and employment opportunities as well as to play an increasingly important role as one of the six National Science Cities. "

Paul Murphy, executive director of North Yorkshire Business and Education Partnership, has worked with Anna for many years, both in his present job and in his former role as chief executive of York Inward Investment Board.

He said: "It has been a real pleasure to work alongside Anna over the years that Science City York has grown in status and significance. In the early days, Anna and I frequently had to make joint presentations to potential investors, both here and in the US. We got so polished, we sometimes used each other's slides, just to keep it fresh!

"More recently, we have been working to take the messages of Science City into local schools, to maximise its long-term impact on local people, via the next generation.

"If I had to sum up Anna in two words, it would be a 'consummate professional'. She has also been enormous fun to work with, and she will be a hard act to follow."

So Science City York is about to lose two key players. We thank them for their immense contributions and wish them well. They leave the initiative in a strong state and at a time of change when plans are afoot to accelerate and build on the success that they have helped to create.

Updated: 11:06 Wednesday, May 17, 2006