IT'S all change at the top as Bury Council welcomes its new chief executive.

Mr Mark Sanders starts his £80,000-plus job on Monday (Oct 1), joining Bury from Oldham Council where he was executive director of policy, performance and regeneration.

He succeeds Mr Dennis Taylor, who has taken early retirement, at the age of 53, after a 35-year career in local government.

He said: "My intention is to spend some time taking a long hard look at not just where we want to go, but how we are going to get there.

"There are many strengths within the council. I want to work with those and maximise performance for the future."

A married man with two children, Mr Sanders (47) has previously worked for Leeds City Council, dealing with regeneration-based projects.

At Oldham he was responsible for four divisions: performance, policy and partnerships, economic development, and environment and regeneration. Prior to that he was assistant chief executive.

He has an MBA and was previously a full-time trade union official with NUPE.

Councillor John Byrne, council leader, added: "We are sorry to see Dennis leaving us, but we are confident we have got the right man to replace him in Mark.

"The council is at the centre of major changes in the way it works, so Mark's appointment, to steer that change, could not have come at a better time."