Stig Abell, Director of the Press Complaints Commission, has today announced that he will step down at the end of February.

This follows the departure of its Head of Complaints, Scott Langham, who left at the end of last year.

The PCC needs fresh blood as it strives to create a credible independent successor.

In keeping with his long record of public service at the PCC, Mr Abell has recognised and acted upon this.

Despite the fact that change was necessary, both Stig and Scott leave big shoes to fill and considerable legacies.

The weaknesses of the PCC are structural. They are no reflection on the hard work and professionalism that the PCC team have delivered whenever we have dealt with them.

Over the past 18 months Full Fact has obtained corrections about important national debates from almost every daily newspaper. Few would have happened without the hard work of the PCC’s Complaints Team.

Establishing a 24 hour service was a formidable achievement and having had occasion to call the hotline at midnight we know that manning it is too.

Those leaving may ruefully reflect that much of their best work has to be done in private – and even its beneficiaries do not necessarily thank them.

As critics and friends of the PCC, we are glad to record that they have much to be proud of and to offer our best wishes to Stig and Scott for their future plans.

But its staff have always been the PCC’s greatest asset. The Commission itself needs fresh faces too. Change starts at the top.

For the future, Charlotte Dewar is an admirable choice for Head of Complaints.

Full Fact has worked with Ms Dewar for as long as we have worked with the PCC. Notably, she handled an early complaint when the PCC had to require a newspaper to reprint its correction in a more prominent way. We look forward to working with her again in the future.

We welcome Mr McManus and look forward to meeting him and Lord Hunt soon, as Lord Justice Leveson urged yesterday.