A new face has joined Kensington and Chelsea Council fresh from a stint with the government.

Nicholas Holgate is joining the council after working as chief operating officer at the department for culture, media and sport. He has become the new executive director for finance, information systems and property for the Royal Borough.

He said: "It will be great to contribute to the work of such a vibrant organisation and as I live in Olympia, the borough affects my quality of life outside the office too. I am absolutely thrilled."

A graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge, Mr Holgate is also a former director of welfare reform at the Treasury, which he first joined in 1984.

The leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, Cllr Merrick Cockell, welcomed the appointment.

"Our residents have extremely high standards and look to us to ensure we run services efficiently," he said. "Mr Holgate has much experience of managing multi-million pound budgets and we are extremely pleased to welcome him."