LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's biggest housebuilder Barratt (>> Barratt Developments Plc) said on Thursday its Chief Finance Officer Neil Cooper had left the firm by mutual agreement just over a year after he joined, in a move a source told Reuters was initiated by the board.

Chief Executive David Thomas will take on the role temporarily whilst a replacement for Cooper, who joined the company in November 2015 from bookmaker William Hill (>> William Hill plc), is sought.

Barratt said on Thursday that Cooper had left with immediate effect in a move which a source told Reuters was instigated by the other directors.

"This was a decision led by the board and there was an acceptance that it wasn't working in the way that either party thought it might," a source familiar with the company's thinking said.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas; editing by Paul Sandle)

Stocks treated in this article : Barratt Developments Plc, William Hill plc