Politicians in local government do a tough job and do not get the respect they deserve, the top officer at Bath and North East Somerset Council said.

Will Godfrey has spent half his life in the public sector, working in Conservative, Labour and now Liberal Democrat-led authorities. He was already living in Bathford when he landed the job of Chief Executive, meaning he had to flip a switch from being a resident wishing the Council would act, to being the person in charge.

In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Godfrey said: “Political philosophies don’t come into a lot of executing of activities.

“If you’re a social worker on the front line, you don’t come to work thinking about what the Conservatives are thinking of or what Labour policy is going to be. You come in to do the best job you can for the communities we serve.”

An accountant by profession, he worked for KPMG, one of the “big four” accountancy firms in the mid-90s, but knew it wasn’t what he wanted to do.

“It was the most bureaucratic organisation I’ve worked in, and it wasn’t fulfilling,” said Mr Godfrey, 54. “I wanted to see what the private sector was like, but never wanted to stay there.

“I’ve worked in local government for pretty much the last thirty years, it’s about trying to make the best impact on communities.

“We probably have more ability than any other part of the public sector to improve the lives of our communities. In local government, we’ve been really good over the last fifteen to twenty years at becoming more efficient. We have to think of different ways of doing things. Things are changing around us – our job is keeping one step ahead.

“The job is all-consuming. I can’t ignore things. Part of my DNA is to say, ‘could we do this better?’ Some people may find that frustrating.

“People have a skewed view. You can have a negative view of the institution, but most people think what we do is really good.

“Being a councillor or a council leader is a difficult job. They’re very visible. They get a lot of negative coverage, but they also have an incredible influence on people’s lives. Council leaders across the political spectrum don’t get the respect they deserve.

“I’ve seen more opportunity here than anywhere I’ve ever worked – when you look at the social capital, the assets we own, the capability of the organisation.

“There’s a lot to do here. I’m absolutely committed to doing it for as long as people want me to. I don’t believe you can do the job for two years and fly off. I’m here to do the job I’ve been asked to do, and it takes time to do that.” Stephen Sumner, LDRS