Work and Money

Joe Duckworth, the former chief executive of the Isle of Wight council, has joined Newham Council. Previously he also worked for Westminster City Council and in Hackney, Surrey and York.

The job of a council's chief executive is to advise on policies and also carry them out, but it is up to elected councillors to choose the final policies for the borough.

"There are two big issues for residents – one is anti-social behaviour and crime, and the other is how their streets look. If streets look well cared for then people tend to behave better," he said.

Raising the eco agenda

Sir Robin Wales said that Mr Duckworth had "done an excellent job on the Isle of Wight especially in developing its Eco Island vision and now we are going to benefit."

Mr Duckworth's work in the Isle of Wight included reducing the Isle’s carbon footprint. He told BBC London: "In Newham we've got to link the needs of the environment with those of local residents – fuel poverty is a big problem, for example.

"I'd like to start a dialogue with local developers about reducing the carbon footprint of new buildings."

Newham has been criticised for having some of the lowest levels of recycling in the UK. "There is no reason why we can't also get recycling rates up," added Mr Duckworth.

angela.saini@bbc.co.uk