A north-east council has appointed a new housing chief, 10 months after his predecessor was killed in a tragic crash.
Douglas Edwardson died after a collision with a tractor near Dunecht in December last year.
Now Aberdeenshire Council has appointed a replacement from neighbouring Aberdeen City Council, who already has experience working in the wider north-east region.
Rob Simpson is currently the communities and housing citywide manager for the authority.
He was also the acting head of housing for Aberdeenshire Council. for a period earlier this year. He has also previously worked Aberdeenshire schemes including the council’s new Peterhead offices.
Mr Simpson will take up his new £80,000-per-year role at Woodhill House on November 21.
Last night councillor Anne Allan, chairwoman of the council’s housing committee, wished Mr Simpson “all the best” in his new post.
Mrs Allan said: “There is no doubt this is a challenging but rewarding role which requires special skills to achieve the best outcomes for everyone.
“Ensuring tenants’ voices are heard is an important part of that role and one of the first things I will be talking to Rob about is how we get tenants more involved in the decision making.”
Her comments were echoed by authority co-leader Richard Thomson.
He said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Brian Watson who took on the role of acting head of housing during a very difficult time for the team following the sad death of Douglas Edwardson last year.
“Brian and his team have done a great job in what has been a challenging year ensuring the housing service is in a good place when Mr Simpson takes over.”
The number of people on the housing waiting list has recently been cut from over 10,000 to 8,500.
Priorities for the incoming head of housing will be providing more affordable houses to slash the waiting list, tackling homelessness and addressing fuel poverty.
