THE man set to take charge of Bolton Council says he is coming back to his North West roots.

Paul Najsarek, who has previously held the top job at Harrow Council in London where he helped to deliver £70 million in cuts, will take up the £160,000 job in May.

The 47-year-old, who originally hails from Chorlton in Manchester, will now look to make savings of £43 million in Bolton.

He told The Bolton News: "I bring a strong passion for the public service, and I’m passionate that we keep going with the regeneration of Bolton and continue to narrow the gap between the most affluent and poorest.

“I also want us to be as innovative as we can be while protecting the most vulnerable people.

“In Harrow we have delivered £70 million of savings over the past few years, and there is another £70 million to come out over the next few years, so it’s similar territory to Bolton.

“For me the attraction of Bolton is coming back to my roots, working with the community in Bolton and I also think the council is a well-run organisation, which is a big attraction for me.”

The father-of-two worked as a director at Harrow Council from 2004. He then became the interim head of paid service — the top job in the council at that time — in November, 2013.

The move came after the Conservative leadership decided to scrap the job of chief executive, held by Michael Lockwood, and gave him a £168,000 pay-off.

When Labour took back control of the borough they decided to re-instate the post and re-employed the same chief executive — pushing Mr Najsarek back to a less senior post.

Mr Najsarek underwent a rigorous three-day assessment process before being selected, and Cllr Cliff Morris said he was a stand-out candidate with a track record of delivering major regeneration schemes, strengthening the voluntary and community sector and working with the police to make Harrow the safest borough in London.

Mr Najsarek grew up in Chorlton where he attended St Thomas Aquinas school, Xaverian College and later the University of Liverpool where he studied politics and philosophy.

His mother was one of nine children growing up in a Salford terrace house. She met his father when he and his family moved to the UK from Poland after the Second World War.

After university Mr Najsarek worked for a number of months in Washington for senior congressman Richard Gephardt, who ran to be the Democrat candidate for President of the USA twice.

Returning to the UK, he entered local government and has held positions in numerous different departments including adult and children social services, housing, public health and community services covering libraries, arts and leisure.

Cllr Morris said: “Paul is an excellent candidate for the job and brings to it more than 20 years' experience in local and central government.

“He will be a great asset to the council at a time when we have to make significant savings, transform services and maintain community outcomes despite reducing resources.

"He is a first class officer who shares our values and understands the challenges that face us. I have no doubt he will be an outstanding Chief Executive.”

Current chief executive Sean Harriss is leaving Bolton Council to take up the same job at Lambeth Council in March.

Margaret Asquith, the Director of Children’s and Adult Services, will be acting chief executive before Mr Najsarek joins the authority in May.