An East Lancashire council has welcomed a new chief executive this week.

Rose Rouse officially started her new role as Pendle Council’s chief executive on Monday, after previously occupying the role of chief executive at Eden District Council until 2020.

Before that, she was corporate director at Worcester City Council, and for the last year Rose has been an independent consultant.

She said: “I’m delighted to take up the role of chief executive for Pendle Council.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this fantastic opportunity.

“Pendle is a great place, packed full of potential.

“I’m really excited about working with councillors, staff, partners and the community to take forward ambitious plans for Pendle’s future.”

Speaking about the past 18 months, she said: “It’s been an incredibly difficult time for everyone but it’s clear that by working together we can continue to do all we can to support our communities.”

Councillor Nadeem Ahmed, leader of Pendle Council, said: “We’re so pleased to welcome Rose to Pendle Council and look forward to working with her.

“Our priorities include leading the recovery of our community, towns and businesses from the impact of Covid-19 to tackling the climate crisis locally and making Pendle an even better place to live.”

Rose takes over from Dean Langton who has taken up a new role as finance director at Blackburn with Darwen Council.