HIGHWAYS chief Tracey Chapman is one of two Essex county councillors to step down from their cabinet member positions.

Sarah Candy, councillor responsible for children's services, has also announced she is leaving the cabinet.

Both woman cited "personal reasons" as the trigger for their decisions.

Ms Chapman, highways and transport cabinet member, has been in the public eye over the past few weeks because of controversy surrounding whether the Sadlers Farm roadworks were running behind schedule. The roadworks are causing majoir hold-ups, which have spread across much of south Essex.

The Rochford North ward councillor, who lives in Paglesham, last week stressed the scheme was on target to finish in "spring", but a contractor who had worked on the project and Benfleet councillor Alf Patridge claimed it was suffering delays.

Peter Martin, council leader, said: “Sadly both Sarah Candy and Tracey Chapman have expressed a desire to stand down as cabinet members for their own personal reasons.

"Both Sarah and Tracey have served on the cabinet with distinction for a number of years and I would like to pay tribute to the contributions that they have made to the work of the council during that time.

"They will both be missed from the cabinet."

Ms Chapman has been a councillor since 1997 and was handed responsiblity for highways in June 2009.

Ms Candy, who lives in Manningtree, has been represented Tendring Rural West ward for 11 years and been cabinet member for children's services since June 2009.

The authority has not yet been publicly announced who will replace either councillor, but their loss leaves the ten-strong cabinet with only one woman - Ann Naylor, who is responsible for adults, health and community wellbeing.

The opposition Liberal Democrat group slammed the fact only one woman remained on the cabinet.

Theresa Higgins, equalities and diversity spokesman for the party, said: "This is a shocking waste of female talent, especially as Essex County Council is aiming to get the excellent standard of the equality and diversity framework."

The council leader said: "Ms Higgins fails to recognise the tremendous contribution that both Sarah and Tracey have made over the last decade or so.

"Women play an important role in the council and any suggestion that they are deliberately overlooked is frankly nonsense.”