Peter Ridgway has been appointed Interim Chief Executive of South Lakeland District Council.

Mr Ridgway, who is currently Director of Customer Services at SLDC, will take up his new role when current Chief Executive, Mike Jones, retires at the end of June.

When Mr Jones announced his retirement, the authority agreed not to fill the vacancy permanently due to the current uncertainty surrounding local government in Cumbria. The appointment will be reviewed once the future is more certain.

On receiving confirmation of his appointment today (Wednesday) Mr Ridgway said: "I am very aware of the responsibility and trust that councillors are investing in me to lead the team at South Lakeland District Council.

"The next few months will test all of our abilities to sustain the significant improvements begun under Mike Jones' leadership."