THE outgoing chief executive took to the airwaves to bid a fond farewell to Bolton on his last day on the job.

Sean Harriss appeared on Bolton FM with presenters Phil Ashcroft and Andrew Dickson to talk about his time at the helm of Bolton Council, his plans for the future and his favourite songs.

During the 30-minute interview he revealed his love of Pink Floyd, how he thinks Bolton Council is like a "mid-table Premier League team" in the local authorities stakes and how he has yet to master the Lambeth walk ahead of his move to London.

The 46-year-old said: “I have got mixed feelings — I’m very sad to be leaving as Bolton has been such a large part of life.

“But it is also the right time to move on, so there’s excitement about my new challenge as well.”

Mr Harriss was born in Boston in Lincolnshire, and first joined local government as a press officer for Tameside Council.

In October 1993 he joined Bolton Council and worked in a number of roles, rising through the ranks of the then chief executive’s staff.

He left the authority and became the director of strategy and resources at Oldham Council, before returning to Bolton as chief executive in 2007.

During his time in the top job, Mr Harriss has overseen the slashing of Bolton Council’s budget, with more than £100 million cut from the budget since 2011, resulting in 1,350 jobs being lost.

One of the most controversial cuts was the decision to close five of the borough’s 15 libraries, which prompted outrage from Bolton residents.

In February the council approved a further £43 million cuts between 2015 and 2017, which could mean up to another 500 jobs going.

Asked what advice he would give to the new chief executive, Paul Najsarek, he said he would pass on the same guidance given to him by Bernard Knight, the man in charge of Bolton Council between 1997 and 2007.

He said: “My advice to my successor would be that I think there are often no right or wrong answers — it is all about judgement.

“People in Bolton generally want to do the right thing for the place, and if you work with them Bolton will do well.

“Bolton does have a bright future — there’s opportunities for growth, regeneration in the town centre and bring the students in with the new campus, opportunities in the west of the borough in housing — but there’s going to be much less money.

“So there are challenges and opportunities.”

- Mr Harriss was also at Bolton's Spice Valley restaurant this week as the Bolton Hindu Forum said goodbye to the outgoing chief executive.

SEAN HARRISS' DESERT ISLAND DISCS

- Bruce Springsteen 'Born To Run': "It's quite uplifting — it's about doing things and making things happen."

- The Killers 'Mr Brightside': "A great track"

- Pink Floyd 'Wish You Were Here': "Whatever the lyrics mean, I don't know what they mean, I think they are really good."