New council chief executive

19 October 2009

A former local primary school teacher has been appointed chief executive at Tower Hamlets Council.

Dr Kevan Collins, 48, has worked in the public sector for more than 25 years - starting as a teacher at a Bow school before working on the national literacy strategy and becoming director of the primary national programme in 2003.

He joined the council in 2005 as its first director of children's services, spearheading the Every Child Matters agenda.

Dr Collins describes his appointment at the four-star council as 'a fantastic opportunity to continue improving public services in an area that is vibrant and full of opportunities, yet facing more than its fair share of challenges'.

He added: ''The council touches on the lives of thousands of people each and every day and has a fantastic record - whether it's improving exam results at one end of the age scale, or enabling more older people to live independently than any other area.

''I see my role as working with our excellent workforce and partners to build on these successes - and ratcheting up performance where this is necessary.''

Council leader Cllr Lutfur Rahman said: ''I can think of nobody better qualified to continue efforts to drive up service standards than Kevan - given his significant success  running local schools and other children's services.''

Dr Collins, who has been interim chief executive since the summer, takes over from previous council head Martin Smith.