After being interim chief executive of the city council for more than three months, he was the one internal candidate on the final shortlist of three who were interviewed on Tuesday.

But Mr Mothersole said his appointment should not be regarded as an indication that the Town Hall will be run just as before.

"Nobody should assume this will be a period of no change. We have still got some significant issues to tackle and we have got a new council with an agenda to deliver. Sheffield has had a great decade but we can't rest on our laurels."

In the same week that the council's new executive director of children's services formally settled into her job, Mr Mothersole said one of his key priorities will be to help reverse the city's poor standards in education and to give young people better skills.

And in general, there will be a drive to improve public satisfaction with the council. "We have got to be much more focused on the customer and get it right for them."

Mr Mothersole, aged 48, came to Sheffield in January, 1998, as executive director of development, environment and leisure, working closely with Bob Kerslake, whom he now succeeds.

As chief executive, he is in charge of the biggest employer in the city, with 14,000 workers, including teachers.

The job, with a salary of around £180,000 a year, produced 26 applications and, with advice from consultants, was slimmed down to eight and then three.

The recruitment panel comprised three Liberal Democrats, two Labour councillors and one Green and was chaired by council leader Paul Scriven.

The panel met representatives from the private, public, and voluntary sectors and, for the first time, four Sheffield residents were given the opportunity to put questions to the candidates in person, with the responses taken into account in the final mix.

The controlling Liberal Democrat group was known to be keen to break with the Kerslake era, in so much as it thought some important decisions were effectively being taken by officers as opposed to elected officers.

They took power in May with a promise to make changes and to listen more carefully to the public.

While Mr Mothersole was associated with the previous regime, he offered the prospect of a degree of stability at the top at a time of widespread upheaval. Two other executive directors have left recently – Jonathan Crossley-Holland (education) and Joanne Roney (housing).

And Mr Mothersole has evidently been able to demonstrate the capacity for a solid working relationship with Paul Scriven in recent weeks.
Coun Scriven said: "I think he will be an exceptional chief executive, and will take the step up from his role as executive director in his stride.

"We have searched far and wide to find the best candidate and put all the candidates through a testing selection process. We look forward to working with John in taking the city to its next chapter and making Sheffield a place where everyone matters."

Mr Mothersole's job is to implement policies decided by the politicians, so there will be no change of direction as a result of his appointment.

In coming weeks, he is likely to be at the centre of debates on how to improve the city's traffic network and how to improve the planning department. Both are issues highlighted by the Lib Dems and both policy areas he was closely involved in under his previous job.

As the national economy stutters, there will also be the considerable challenge of ensuring that the local economy continues to head in the right direction.

"We have revived the economy, we haven't transformed it yet," said Mr Mothersole.

Like his political masters, he is keeping an open mind as he settles into his new high-profile role.

"We have to make sure that what we are planning to do is in line with the mood of the city and what we are doing is understood by the city. I am quite relaxed about starting a conversation and not necessarily knowing how it will end."

Mr Mothersole, originally from Blackburn, describes Sheffield as a city that he and his family have come to love.

"To be given both the opportunity to be the chief executive, and to be given the trust of the council in carrying out this role, can only be described as a deep honour.

"The city council can be a huge force for good in this city. My job and my ambition is to work with the council leader to make sure that this is the case.

"This is the sort of job that you have to do with your heart and your head. That is exactly how I will do it."