THE APPOINTMENT of Cumberland Council’s chief executive officer has been welcomed by the political leadership of his current authority.

Cumberland Council voted on Friday to approve Andrew Seekings’ appointment as chief executive.

The unitary authority is set to takeover in Carlisle, Allerdale and Copeland on April 1 2023 at which point the existing city, county and borough councils will be abolished.

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Mr Seekings takes on the head of paid service role having served as the interim during the authority’s formative months.

He is the current CEO of Allerdale Borough Council.

Councillor Mike Johnson, Leader of Allerdale Borough Council, said: "I am extremely pleased to see Andrew appointed as the chief executive for the new unitary authority.

“I fully supported this decision having worked with Andrew for a number of years at Allerdale.

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“During that time he has shown a real passion for the role and provided fantastic support for myself and my Executive members, as well as the other councillors and the staff team.

“The past few years have been particularly challenging with the pandemic, but Andrew has risen to every challenge and he has also fully embraced the local government reorganisation process in Cumbria. I wish him every success in his new role."

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