Curious to find out the reason for his sudden exit after only half a year in the prestigious ConfEd post, we were told that he had stepped down because he felt his lack of an education officer’s job after leaving Ealing in April no longer qualified him for the post. But when we contacted Ealing, they said he had left them to spend more time on his role at ConfEd. In fact, so pressing was his commitment to ConfEd that Ealing had “generously agreed” to release him immediately from his duties, appointing assistant director Caroline Whalley to work as an interim director until his official leaving date in July.

So which came first: the chicken or the egg? And will Mr Parker now reapply for his old job at Ealing? He was unavailable for comment, but an Ealing council spokesman said: “He is welcome to apply just like anybody else.”