Islington Council has chosen its preferred candidate to take to be the borough’s new chief executive – a decision set to be confirmed on Thursday.

Linzi Roberts-Egan, currently deputy chief exec and director of families and housing at Waltham Forest Council, has been picked from a final shortlist of five names vying to take the post vacated by Lesley Seary in April.

A full council meeting will convene on Thursday to decide if she's the right for the job, but given the Labour Group's 46 seat majority this should be a formality. "I think she's a really strong candidate and can develop the council and move it forward," said council leader Richard Watts. "She's got a wealth of understanding of how to run quality services. She comes with a very high reputation and she's got a strong sense of what were trying to do about making the borough fairer."