THE chief executive of Bolton Council is leaving to carry out the same role in the London borough of Lambeth.

Sean Harriss will leave for his new job in March — by which time he will have been in charge of Bolton Council for eight years.

But the 46-year-old Lincolnshire-born chief has completed a total of 17 years’ service in the Bolton authority.

He was part of the team in the chief executive’s office from 1993 to 2003, eventually rising to become head of the office.

Following that he went to Oldham as assistant chief executive before becoming director of strategy and resources — before returning to Bolton after four-and-a-half years.

Mr Harriss, who lives in Rossendale, has lived in the north west since 1991, after being brought up in Boston and attending Nottingham University, where he attained a politics degree.

Earlier this year Mr Harriss received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bolton.

“Bolton has been the most important place in my career,” said Mr Harriss. “While I am excited about the new role, I will be sad to leave a borough that became my professional home.

“In Lambeth, the opportunities are exciting. There is a lot going on there. There will be interesting challenges, very different than those I have experienced in Bolton.

“It's in a capital city and there will be a lot there to stretch my skills and experience.

“I am leaving feeling very positive about Bolton.

“The council’s got some financial and economic challenges, but despite this, whoever takes over has got a good foundation on which to build.

“The town has got a lot going for it and I want to give people confidence that it has a strong future.”

In Lambeth, Mr Harriss is taking over from current chief executive Derrick Anderson, who steps down at the end of the year after nine years in charge.

Last month, Mr Harriss presented members of the Bolton Council cabinet with proposals to cut the budget by £43 million, with the potential loss of up to 500 jobs.

Those cuts were on top of £100 million which had already been made.

They could ultimately mean libraries in the town being run by a not-for-profit trust, and Bolton linking up with Wigan Council to provide services like street cleaning and gritting.

But Mr Harriss has also said Bolton Council should do everything it can to make sure the town gets the most out devolution plans, which means Greater Manchester will get its own directly elected mayor.

“The proposed devolution of powers on the table offers an opportunity for Greater Manchester, including Bolton, to take control over the influence of key policy areas which will help improve prosperity, jobs, growth and services,” he said.

“Greater Manchester only works if parts of the city region contribute to driving economic growth, jobs and prosperity.

"We will make sure Bolton benefits from the opportunity that’s on offer.”