A COUNCIL boss today said private sector wage hikes would continue to lure away top staff after an education high-flier said he was leaving the borough for a five-figure pay rise.

Mark Pattison turned Blackburn and Darwen's struggling education authority into an official beacon of excellence after arriving in 1997, and was voted among the top ten education bosses in the country.

But Blackburn with Darwen Council's £80,000-a-year director of education and training will leave in January to become managing director with Education Bradford, where it is believed he will command an annual package of £130,000.

The traditional private sector brain drain is now beginning to affect education after the 1998 Education Act said the Secretary of State could intervene when a local authority was failing and direct a private organisation to move in.

Education Bradford is the new brand name for the city's LEA, which was taken over by private management support provider Serco in July after it was ranked a failure by the Government's Office for Standards in Education. Other privately run services include Walsall and several London boroughs -- and Serco is actively seeking other partnerships across the country.

Blackburn Council leader Bill Taylor said he was confident of finding a quality replacement for Mr Pattison, who was moving to a larger authority. But he admitted they could not compete with private wages like those available at Bradford. "It's a fact of life. You're not comparing eggs with eggs," he added.

Council leaders praised Mr Pattison's record -- and regretted they were unable to retain him when he could earn an extra £50,000 elsewhere.

Coun Bill Taylor said: "He has played a leading role in our successes." But Blackburn had to stick to nationally-agreed pay rates for its executives, based on the size of population.

Tory leader Councillor Colin Rigby added: "He's done a superb job. In the league table of size we are near the bottom and people will inevitably move on to bigger challenges."

Mr Pattison said: "This is without doubt one of the most exciting and challenging jobs in education and I am really looking forward to taking up my new position in January."

The former Oxford University tutor took on Blackburn's top education post four years ago, in the run-up to the council's changeover to single authority status. He was previously Acting Senior Assistant Director of Education at Leeds City Council.

He is a graduate of the University of Essex and started his teaching career in Surrey. His part-time work included spells as a tutor in politics at Oxford University.

Recently, Mr Pattison was listed ninth in a "top ten" of education leaders by professional municipal journal the Local Government Chronicle.

During his tenure Blackburn with Darwen was selected by the Government as a "beacon" authority in education -- which means it is held up to other councils as an example of how things should be run.

And in 1998,the authority was chosen as one of the first to set up a Government Education Action Zone. Last year, Prime Minister Tony Blair and then Education Secretary David Blunkett visited to see the way the EAZ was being run.

Blackburn with Darwen Executive Member for Education Councillor Mahfooz Hussain said: "He was very, very committed person with high standards. He will be greatly missed."