BRIMBANK City Council general manager Leigh Harrison has taken a job with Manningham City Council.

Mr Harrison left the council last Monday and will be Mannigham’s director of assets and engineering.

Brimbank council’s chief executive officer, Nick Foa, praised Mr Harrison’s seven years of service.

He said Mr Harrison had been “a highly valued member of staff and the executive management team”.

“During his time with council he has seen many changes that have left the organisation stronger and more resilient,” he said.

“The transformation of Brimbank in terms of environment, parks and infrastructure was a vision of Leigh’s since his arrival at council.

“The establishment of the environment department and the urban design department are just some of the legacies that he will leave at Brimbank.”

However, Mr Harrison came under fire last year when the Melbourne Wholesale Fish Market applied to move to Brooklyn and the council sent a letter to nearby residents saying the development would be a warehouse.

Residents said they should have been informed the site was going to be a seafood market and residents further away than 300 metres from the development should have been notified.

But Mr Harrison said according to the Brimbank Planning Scheme, the proposed development was classified as a warehouse and that was what council was required to tell citizens, despite ongoing residents’ concerns about odours, dust and noise caused by the Brooklyn industry.

Last Tuesday, Mr Harrison’s temporary replacement, Lyndon Webb, started as the council’s new acting general manager of infrastructure and environment.

Mr Foa said Mr Webb had “a rich professional history in local government.”

Mr Webb was an engineer with Hume Shire in Albury and was chief executive officer at Toowong Shire and City of Wellington.