MIKE Appleyard, the county councillor for Wooburn, has been sacked by council boss David Shakespeare from his job in charge of Buckinghamshire schools.

Cllr Shakespeare kicked Cllr Appleyard out of the cabinet the day after the Buckinghamshire County Council election results were declared, in which the Wooburn member retained his seat with an increased majority.

The Free Press reported on the day that Cllr Appleyard's job was in danger.

Cllr Shakespeare, county council leader, did not see eye-to-eye with Cllr Appleyard on the education set up in the cabinet.

The leader split education, giving Cllr Appleyard schools but giving special needs education to Margaret Aston, who runs children's services. Cllr Appleyard disagreed with the change and, as a result, is now out of his £16,000 a year job.

He is the second education boss to go after daring to step out of line.

Peter Lawrence was sacked as education chairman several years ago after criticising the council's budget, which took £11 million out of education.

Though he made his feelings known in private, he backed the cuts when they became agreed policy and was surprised not to be reappointed.

No-one at County Hall is saying who the new schools member will be. Cllr Shakespeare is on holiday and deputy leader Bill Chapple refused to say.

There could be a reshuffle, with Mark Taylor (Taplow) moving from resources to schools. Richard Pushman (Naphill), Brenda Jennings (Wing), or Frank Sweatmen (Marlow North), are other names in the frame.

Margaret Dewar (Beaconsfield), cabinet member for community services, was offered the job, but has turned it down.

The leader of the Lib Dem group, Pam Crawford (Chesham West) said she was at a loss to think who could take Cllr Appleyard's place.

"I think David Shakespeare has made a mistake. Mike had the experience to understand about schools and he was trying to go in the right direction."

There were five or six upper schools in the most deprived areas that needed help, she said.

Cllr Crawford said Cllr Appleyard recognised that but he had a fight with the education department, which she said was in the pockets of the grammar schools and did not like him telling them what to do.

Cllr Appleyard, 59, was surprised to get the leader's phone call, but said: "I am going to do nothing disloyal. I am a Conservative and that is the top and bottom of it."

Cllr Appleyard, who will start looking for work, has been a trouble shooter, helping to get failing companies back on their feet.

Getting to the root of a problem and taking measures to put things right were the sort of skills needed in cabinet, he said.

Asked whether he got on with people, he said: "I have my own ways of going about things and I get irritated when it doesn't happen."