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Darra Singh is to step down as chief executive of Ealing LBC to take on one of the toughest jobs in Whitehall.

He will take over as the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, with the rank of permanent secretary.

Mr Singh said he was ‘tremendously excited' by the prospect of taking on the role, and added: ‘People look to Jobcentre Plus as a means of helping them get back into work as quickly as possible. It helps thousands of people into jobs every day. I look forward to building on this already-impressive record.'

Mr Singh was appointed chief executive at Ealing in 2005, and is a former chair of the Commission on Integration and Cohesion. He will take over from acting chief executive, Mel Groves who took on the interim role in November, following Lesley Strathie's appointment as chief executive of HM Revenue and Customs.

Under Mr Singh's leadership Ealing won Best Achieving Council in The MJ's 2009 awards.

Secretary of state for work and pensions, Yvette Cooper, said Mr Singh's experience and ability would be an asset to the network – which has 75,000 staff – during a ‘key point' of the economic downturn.