THE new chief executive of West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) has been announced. 

Peter Hessett, who is currently the authority's chief officer of regulatory and regeneration, will take over the role from Joyce White during the summer. 

Mr Hessett has been involved in the delivery of a number of major projects across the area over the past decade including Queens Quay, West Dunbartonshire Energy Centre, and the Glasgow City Region City Deal. 

He joined WDC in 2013 as head of legal, democratic and regulatory services before extending his remit in 2020 to include regeneration.  

Peter has also overseen services such as trading standards, planning, and environmental health.

He is said to be taking on this new role with a vision of making West Dunbartonshire "an even better place to live, work, learn and invest".

He said: “I am honoured to be appointed chief executive of West Dunbartonshire Council and excited by this fantastic opportunity to continue the progress we’ve already made in the area over the past decade.

“As well as great affection for and loyalty to the area, I have a firm understanding of the pressures faced by our residents and I am passionate about delivering positive change.

“West Dunbartonshire has a lot to offer and as chief executive I will be focusing on continued improvements and support for our communities, visitors, and businesses as well as bringing further investment into our area.

“While I recognise there will be challenges ahead, I’m confident my knowledge of this council and all the services it provides will allow us to deliver on our key priorities and I look forward to working together with elected members, partners, and officers to achieve this.”

Council leader, Councillor Martin Rooney, said he is looking forward to working with Peter over the coming years. 

He added: “We are very pleased to welcome Peter as the new chief executive. Over the past decade Peter has shown impressive leadership qualities, as well as demonstrating a great understanding of all the services our council provides.

“Every candidate we interviewed was of a very high standard, but Peter’s passion, ambition and vision for the future of West Dunbartonshire stood out during the recruitment process.

"I’m really looking forward to working with him so that together we can unlock even more of West Dunbartonshire’s potential over the coming years.”

Current chief executive Joyce White will step away from the role after more than a decade and added that she is "delighted to be leaving it in such capable hands".

Joyce said: “I want to congratulate Peter on his appointment and wish him every success in the future.

“Leading this fantastic organisation and the dedicated, hard-working people within it has been a real honour in my career and having worked closely with Peter for several years, I am delighted to be leaving it in such capable hands.”