THREE of the most senior officials within Glasgow City Council and its arms-length bodies have confirmed they are to quit.

Within the past 24 hours, Scott Taylor, chief executive of the hugely successful Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, has announced he will step down in the coming months.

One of the pivotal figures in Glasgow's reinvention over the past 15 years, under his stewardship the Marketing Bureau has become one of the most successful in the UK, propelling Glasgow to the A-list of European conference destinations.

David Melvin, head of the city council's largest Aleo, Cordia, has also told colleagues he is to retire.

The social care, catering and janitorial body has staff numbers of around 8000.

A third senior officer, David Heneghan, whose role was to overhaul how the council is shaped in the face of ongoing financial pressures will also step down.

Branded "head of cuts" by one union leader, Mr Heneghan is to take work within the charitable sector.

In a memo to colleagues he said: "2015 has been an eventful year for me and some of those events have resulted in lots of reflection.

"So having spent almost seven great years with Glasgow I have decided that the time has come for me to seek out a new challenge that better suits my desire to spend more time with my family and take on some voluntary charity work."

Several senior sources have said the trio's main motivation in either moving on or calling it a day has been the massive financial squeeze facing local government in the immediate years ahead.

One source said: "All three have had excellent track records in public service and are basically cashing in their chips when the going is still relatively good. They won't want to leave in what will be seen as managing decline."

One of the pivotal figures in Glasgow's reinvention over the past 15 years, under Scott Taylors stewardship the Marketing Bureau has become one of the most successful in the UK, propelling Glasgow to the A-list of European conference destinations.

The most recent figures show Glasgow attracted new conference business worth almost £75million in the aftermath of last year's Commonwealth Games.

It is understood the 53-year-old, who claims to work up to 90 hours per work, will not retire and has given a commitment he will not seek a move to a rival operation touting for the same business as Glasgow.

None of the trio leave under any trawl for redundancies of senior staff across the wider Glasgow 'council family' or enhanced packages.

One source said: "Scott's successor is someone the council needs to get so right but could get badly wrong. He's been a crucial figure in the city's economy, securing the conferences, filling the hotel beds and getting the spending going in the city."

Cordia chairman Cllr Mohammed Razaq said: “David Melvin has been a good servant to the people of Glasgow over the last 19 years, latterly as Cordia’s operations director and then managing director. We wish him well in his retirement.”

In an email to staff, Glasgow City Council chief executive Annmarie O'Donnell said: "After ten successful years leading Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, Scott Taylor has decided to step down.

"I don’t need to remind you of the successes the bureau has had, from their seemingly endless run of Convention Bureau of the Year wins, to the launch of People Make Glasgow, to their role in our world leading events strategy, Scott has led a team which has delivered successes for this city which would have been unthinkable in the past.

"Glasgow is now Scotland’s fastest growing tourism destination and between now and March we will take steps to ensure we have the structures in place to continue the bureau’s success.

"I am sure you will want to join me in wishing Scott well for the future."