The politician in charge of Kent’s schools is expected to leave his job this week after barely a year in the job.

The news comes just a week after the county’s secondary schools posted some of their best-ever results in GCSE exams.

In an unexpected move, county councillor Chris Wells is understood to be standing down from Kent County Council’s Conservative cabinet and returning to the backbenches.

Cllr Wells, who comes from Thanet, declined to comment on the reports when contacted by the Kent Messenger Group, saying it would not be appropriate to do so.

County council Conservative leader Paul Carter confirmed he was in the process of making some changes but declined to go into detail.

“I am making some changes. Nothing is forever and you have to make changes in the light of changing circumstances.”

However, County Hall sources say a formal announcement will be made later today (Friday Aug 29) confirming the news. Reports suggest that the official explanation will be that Cllr Wells, who represents a marginal constituency in Margate, wants to focus on fighting the next election.

But there is some surprise that Cllr Wells is to leave after such a short time in one of the key political posts. Only last week, he was leading tributes to Kent’s pupils over their exam success. He had also been highly critical of the Government’s decision to label 31 schools in the county as under-performing.

He was promoted to the cabinet when his predecessor, John Simmonds, was sacked last July by county council leader Paul Carter after a series of disagreements over policy.

Cllr Clive Hart, county councillor for Margate and Cliftonville, said: “This news doesn’t really surprise me at all. There were clearly problems developing between the KCC Leader Paul Carter and Chris Wells over the summer period.

"At the KCC cabinet meeting held in Margate back in July, Mr Wells was given a golden opportunity to shine with a special agenda item presentation on the government’s multi-million-pound Working Neighbourhoods Fund for Thanet, but he gave such a lacklustre performance that Mr Carter had to keep prompting him all the way through.

“When the very same issue came before us at cabinet scrutiny just a few weeks later, Mr Carter had apparently lost further confidence in Mr Wells and forced him to sit in the public gallery and watch from the sidelines while he (the KCC Leader) took all our questions himself."

Cllr Wells’ replacement is expected to see a return to the Conservative cabinet for Cllr Leyland Ridings, who will be given the role. There is not expected to be a wider reshuffle in the Conservative cabinet but alongside Cllr Wells’ departure, other appointments will be made following the deaths of Lord Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, who chaired KCC’s NHS Scrutiny committee, and Cllr John Laws.

Opposition Labour leader Cllr Mike Eddy said: “It’s no great surprise to me that Paul Carter has reshuffled his Cabinet yet again. Reshuffling his Cabinet in the lead-up to the Conservatives’ annual meeting shows he doesn’t feel in control and doesn’t think he can keep this ship on an even keel for a few short weeks. I wonder how much longer this can go on.”