Piers Wauchope said that child protection expert Jane Held, who left her post without warning on Christmas Eve, had been doing a good job and was succeeding with her department's long-standing difficulties.
Wauchope pointed out that Camden's new chief executive, Moira Gibb, was herself a social services director in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which usually got higher scores than Camden in Audit Commission assessments.
"Camden's executive group is excited above all else by these assessments, and when our adult social services was downgraded a peg last year they became very concerned," he said.
Camden's leaders have issued no explanation for Held's departure. Wauchope said this was probably because lawyers were still negotiating the terms.
