The father-of-one is also excited by the "challenge and opportunity" of heading up the fourth largest authority in the country – one which employs 44,000 staff with a turnover of £1.4bn.

In his mild Scouse accent, the Liverpool season ticket holder told the Evening Post he will "both steer and serve" the council through economic regeneration and development – an area he is renowned for, having worked at authorities across Merseyside, Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear.

He says: "It's about turning the tanker and being on the bridge of the tanker – making sure things are developed and implemented which will take the council forward.

"I have enjoyed all my time in the North East but I am from the North West. People from the North West want to come back and, when given the opportunity, they have done.

"I have been away for 10 years. It offers me a career challenge and personal linkages and connections around friends, family and football. Most of my family are still in this part of the world and I am a Liverpool supporter.

"I am looking forward to coming back to see the places that I knew. Most of Lancashire is in this category."

There has been much made of Mr Fitzgerald's £190,000-a-year pay packet – which is more than Prime Minister Gordon Brown earns.

But he says: "Lancashire benchmark my salary in terms of other salaries in relation to complexity and sense of scale – there are many private sector parallels that carry much greater salaries and renumeration scales."

For the full feature, see Tuesday's Lancashire Evening Post.