THE former boss at Derby City Council, Paul Robinson, will take over the reins at County Hall next year.

Mr Robinson was approved unanimously by county councillors at a special meeting to start work as the chief executive of Worcestershire County Council in Spring.

Leader of the council, Simon Geraghty said that Mr Robinson was the unanimous choice after a rigorous interview process.

After 24 people applied for the job, 12 were interviewed and whittled down to six who were invited for two days of interviews.

Council leader Councillor Simon Geraghty said: “There were three separate panels including one of young people from Worcestershire.”

An even shorter list of three was selected for further interviews, and Mr Robinson was chosen unanimously by the panels.

Cllr Geraghty said that Derby City Council was a unitary authority (combining the responsibilities of both a county council and a district council) with about 6,000 staff, including teachers – comparable to Worcestershire’s workforce of about 7,500.

He said: “He’s run an organisation of comparable size and budget. He’s a driven individual and a very engaging chief executive. I have no hesitation in nominating him as chief executive.”

Mr Robinson who has been at Derby City Council since 2008, and its chief executive since 2015 said "I am looking forward to coming to Worcestershire and working closely with councillors, Council staff, our partners, businesses and the community to deliver excellent services for our residents. Worcestershire has a great deal to offer. I aim to build on the Council's strengths and together with our partners and everyone who works and lives in Worcestershire, realise the ambitions that we all have for the county.”

Mr Robinson will replace Steve Stewart who has been the Interim Chief Executive since the departure of Clare Marchant.