Mr Duckworth plans to visit each ward in the borough to familiarise himself with local needs. He said: "I will be working with Mayor Sir Robin Wales, councillors and council staff to get the best for Newham. It is clear to me that we have to focus on offering residents the best services and great value for money too."

He has joined Newham from Isle of Wight Council where he has been chief executive since June 2006. He has experience in a variety of strategic and leadership roles at senior executive level in the public sector.

Mr Duckworth is delighted to be returning to London as Newham's new top officer. He said: "There's never been a more exciting time to be working for Newham. There has never been a more exciting time to live in Newham. There is nowhere else with a more compelling story to tell. It's why I wanted to join Newham as Chief Executive."

He has previously served as deputy chief executive at Westminster City Council and has held council director posts in Hackney, Surrey and York.

Mayor Sir Robin Wales said: "I am looking forward to working with Joe to drive up performance in frontline services, delivering a green vision for Newham and ensuring that internal changes such as our move to Building 1000 and budget savings provide us with a capacity for continuous improvement.

"The London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012 will bring Newham to the forefront of world attention and Joe's experience in strong governance and financial controls will be invaluable."

Looking ahead, Mr Duckworth says the council needs to act with energy and efficiency to capitalise on the huge amount of investment being made in regeneration and ahead of the 2012 Games.

He has outlined what he sees as four big challenges for the council:

* Regeneration and jobs

* Public safety

* What the place looks like

* Making sure everyone gets the best out of life

He said: "We have only 250 weeks to 2013 when we'll be judged on how we've used the Olympics to create a lasting legacy for our residents.

"We need to make a difference for the young people in our schools who are 12 or 13 now. What sort of Newham will those young people have to look forward to? Will there be jobs for them, housing, clean streets, safe streets? Will all of them, even the most vulnerable, have had their chances in life improved by the services we offer and the leadership we give?"