Farmgate, settling the long running legal battle over the Guided Busway and This Land – three of the issues facing Cambridgeshire County Council’s new chief executive.

Stephen Moir took the helm on Monday – the council he left 11 years ago after taking voluntary redundancy as corporate director, people, policy and law.

Now he’s back, outlining on his first day in the top post what he regards as his priorities.

“My immediate priority is to consider how we build on Cambridgeshire’s great legacy for innovation,” he said.

And that will mean working with others to “tackle some of the challenges faced not just by the county, but the whole world.

“For instance, how we work together on measures to combat the climate emergency, reduce food and fuel poverty, and ensure the safety and well-being of all our residents.”

Mr Moir was appointed in November, following the retirement announcement by previous chief executive Gillian Beasley.

He said: “I take up my new role as the council sets out its stall for the coming years – with the approval of the business plan and budget earlier this month.

“It will be my responsibility to work with our amazing staff, dedicated politicians and partner organisations to deliver the council’s vision of a more caring Cambridgeshire, which is inclusive and offers greater opportunities countywide.”

And he won’t have Peterborough to worry too much about – the council has ended its duel chief executive role.

Cllr Lucy Nethsingha, leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “The joint administration is delighted to welcome Stephen to the council as chief executive.

“While his focus will be firmly on Cambridgeshire, and its issues, we look forward to working with him on the future of shared roles which exist across the council, where services are helping to deliver strong outcomes for residents and communities and resilience for the organisations concerned."

Cllr Elisa Meschini, deputy leader, said: “Stephen understands the challenges we’re facing and wants to collaboratively work with our partners to deliver the best for our communities – and we are very pleased to have him working on that from today,”

Mr Moir re-joins Cambridgeshire from City of Edinburgh Council where he was executive director of corporate services.

Previous positions have included chief people officer at NHS England.