Ronnie Smith, a former chief executive and currently chair of New College Lanarkshire, will head a new neighbourhood board that will take forward the local Pride in Place Programme which is being funded by the UK Government.

Council Chief Executive Paul Manning said: “There were exceptional candidates for this important role, but Ronnie was selected after an interview in which he clearly demonstrated his leadership abilities and his passion for the project.

“We have also had a great deal of interest from local people who are keen to be involved in the Neighbourhood Board, and we will work with Ronnie to appoint a group who bring diverse skills to the table.”

Hamilton Town Centre is one of 12 areas across Scotland that will each receive up to £20m over 10 years to fund renewal projects to improve communities and support local growth. Full details of the programme can be found here.

The council already has an ambitious Hamilton Town Centre Masterplan, with an initial £8 million of council money in place.

Mr Smith qualified as a Town Planner, before serving as Head of Economic Development at East Kilbride District Council. He later became Managing Director of Hamilton Enterprise Development Company (HEDC) and was CEO of Lanarkshire Enterprise Services.