Mr Thomas has been acting in the role since January. His appointment was made permanent earlier this week.

"I'm absolutely thrilled by the appointment, and I'm looking forward to continuing a program of change that we have been enacting the last couple of years, where we are improving our governance, community engagement and ensuring our community and customers are always forefront to our decision making," he said.

Mayor Lesley Hewitt welcomed the decision.

"This appointment shows councillors' confidence in the internal leadership of the organisation," she said.

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