Redbridge Council has named Lesley Seary as its new interim chief executive, starting at the end of March.

Ms Seary, who was the chief executive for Islington Council for eight years before stepping down in April 2019, will be taking over from Andy Donald, who announced in December he was resigning.

As well as being a Redbridge resident, she has also worked for the council as corporate director of customer service and performance, a post she held for a number of years.

During her time at Islington Council she played a vital role in setting up the Islington Employment Commission, which has helped 5,500 people find work since 2014.

She also chaired the youth justice board and helped to establish the borough's integrated gangs team, which uses early intervention to help solve complex cases, tackling issues such as the county lines crisis.

Ms Seary said: "I'm excited to be joining Redbridge Council. Andy has done a terrific job in laying some solid foundations during his tenure, and I look forward to building on that with my new colleagues.

"My immediate focus will be ensuring that we continue to protect our most vulnerable residents and provide vital support to our struggling business community. I will also do my utmost in continuing to lobby those in Whitehall for better and fairer funding for the people of Redbridge. They deserve nothing less."

Council leader Jas Athwal said he was delighted to welcome Ms Seary and was fortunate to have someone of her calibre and experience at the council.

He said: "Lesley comes with a vast wealth of experience at a senior leadership level in various local authorities and is well equipped to deal with the challenges that the local government sector currently faces.

"I know she will use this experience together with her local knowledge to steer us through the government's roadmap out of lockdown and help to rebuild our communities as we recover from the impact of Covid-19.

"Andy has made a tremendous difference in his time as our chief executive, and his hard work and vision has supported a transformation, not just of the services we provide to residents, but how we work as a Council. I wish him every success for the future."