Peter Box, the leader of the Wakefield Council has said that the former chief of Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust was "made a scapegoat" for the financial mess of the trust.

Julia Squire, who worked as the chief executive of the troubled Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust have resigned and will now work at a position in the NHS Confederation. Box had called for more action to restore public trust in the hospital.

"Whilst it was right that the chief executive should stand down, she has clearly been made a scapegoat. Her resignation is not sufficient to tackle the longstanding and deep rooted problems of the trust," he said.

The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has faced mounting criticism over the closure of its A&E department at Pontefract hospital. The resignation comes at a time when the trust is facing criticism the management of its finances.

The A&E unit in Pontefract was closed down suddenly on 1 November and has remained shut since then. The trust had dismissed plans to bring in Army medics at Pontefract to address shortage of doctors after patients and MPs criticized the plan.

Stephen Eames, the chief executive at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, is expected to takeover the work in the coming weeks.