Low note at Royal Opera House

The new head of the Royal Opera House, Mary Allen, is leaving her current job as secretary general of the Arts Council immediately, following a two-day emergency meeting of the council, and anger in the arts world over the way the appointment was made.

Mrs Allen was appointed last week by ROH chairman Lord Chadlington to replace Genista McIntosh, who resigned as chief executive of the ROH after four months because of ill health. The post was not advertised by Lord Chadlington, who as Peter Gummer, head of Shandwick PR company, had worked with Mrs Allen at the Arts Council, where he was chairman of the lottery panel which awarded the Royal Opera House pounds 78m.