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Suffolk CC chief executive, Mike More, has been named as the man to take over the reins of one of the country's top local authorities – Westminster City Council.

Mr More, 52, will succeed Peter Rodgers, who steps down in April after 12 years with the authority.

A cross-party panel of councilors unanimously agreed on Mr More's appointment, which will be ratified at a full council meeting next week. Westminster City Council leader, Sir Simon Milton, will recommend Mr More's appointment at the meeting, and this will be seconded by opposition leader, Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg.

Mr More beat three other candidates at the shortlist stage after going through a rigorous selection process. ‘I am thrilled and very excited to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead Westminster,' he said.

‘Thanks to some of the country's highest-calibre councilors and staff, the current performance of the council is brilliant. My mandate is to build on the authority's first-class delivery and breathtaking ambition.'

Sir Simon Milton said the new top officer ‘has an exemplary record of achievement in local government'.

‘We are delighted to announce that Mr More has been selected as the new chief executive of Westminster,' added Sir Simon.

Suffolk CC leader, Jeremy Pembroke, said: ‘I would like to congratulate Mr More on his new role.

‘Since 2005, local government, not least in Suffolk, has been under tremendous pressure for resources and service demand.

‘Without Mr More's strong managerial leadership and vision, we could not have achieved so much.

‘His work has been recognized by Suffolk becoming a top-performing, four-star authority, and he has now been appointed to one of the top positions in local government.'