A CHIEF executive has been appointed by Bromsgrove District Housing Trust, the organisation which will take over the management of the council's housing stock in March.

Mike Brown, aged 45, who was formerly director of property investment at a Coventry-based housing group, took up his new post on Monday.

"This is an exciting era for housing in Bromsgrove and I am delighted to be appointed to this new role," he said.

"I am sure we have challenging times ahead but everyone at the housing trust is keen to ensure that we keep all the promises made to tenants."

He added: "I am looking forward to leading the trust as it prepares for its official launch in March and will be working with the board to shape this new organisation."

Mr Brown, who is planning to move to the Bromsgrove area, has worked as a housing manager at Cheltenham Borough Council and as operations director at Somer Community Housing Trust in Bath, which also took over transferred housing stock from the council.

He has worked at Whitefriars Housing Group in Coventry for the last three years. Whitefriars was set up three years ago to manage 19,000 homes transferred from Coventry City Council.

He is married and has two children and is a voluntary board member at Walsall Housing Group, which manages homes transferred from Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council.

The appointment has been welcomed by Valerie Godfrey, chairman of the board at Bromsgrove District Housing Trust.

"The new chief executive has been very carefully selected to meet the challenges ahead," she said.

"Mike has vast knowledge and experience over many years of working in the housing sector and we have already experienced his boundless energy, and particularly his commitment to the trust's aims and objectives.

"We have made a lot of promises to our future tenants. To ensure these promises are kept the appointment of a first rate chief executive was vital."

The trust's official launch on March 30 will also herald the start of £49 million programme of improvements to the homes.