Philip Robinson studied part-time at the former Leeds Polytechnic but is now responsible for a budget big enough to put a Nasa mission in orbit.

Bradford Council this week made him its permanent chief executive - 16 months after giving him the post on a temporary basis.

It's taken him 37 years at the authority to reach the top job, and he's delighted. "It is a huge responsibility but one I am looking forward to. At least now it gives me the certainty to make further improvements," he said.

"The interim chief executive role is always difficult. It was important for the Council workforce to be shown leadership in a period of uncertainty, you have to show leadership and I believe I have done."

For more than a year he has carried the weight of responsibility that goes with employing 20,000 staff and spending a £600 million budget, without having any permanency in the role.

"When you are doing an interim job you put your whole self into it, which is what I have done. It would have been quite wrong to behave as if it was a job for just a few weeks or months. I believe I provided considerable stability after the departure of the last chief executive and now I am delighted to be able to carry out those duties on a permanent basis."

He always wanted to succeed in local government but never had his eye on the top job until he had established himself.

"When I left school I wanted to be an accountant and so joined the Borough Council, as it was then. My aim was to be finance director - which is what I achieved at a relatively early age - and that gave me a good base for furthering my career."

He has seen many changes in the role the authority plays in the district's life. "Nowadays it is more about working in partnership with other organisations, like the police, health groups, regional development bodies and the Government office for Yorkshire. If you go back ten years, local government was more inwardly focused - it is more challenging this way."

Mr Robinson, 55, was born in Great Horton and went to Grange Grammar School, so his roots combine with his job to give him a unique perspective on the district. "I have spent all my life in Bradford, I have always been committed to Bradford and still am. It gives me an extra passion to succeed here.

"There has never been a better or more exciting time to be chief executive in this great district. I am very committed to Bradford and will continue to fight its corner, both regionally and nationally.

"The future is really bright for Bradford, we are seeing the first strong signs of major regeneration and it is a time of increasing optimism, but there is no room for complacency.

"There are numerous challenges and obviously we want to see more improvements in education, reduction in levels of crime and continuing improvements in delivery of services," he said.

But whatever the future holds, this morning it was 'business as usual' for Britain's newest council executive officer.