Politicians in local government do a tough job and do not get the respect they deserve, the top officer at Bath and North East Somerset Council has said.

Will Godfrey has spent half his life in the public sector, working in Conservative, Labour and now Liberal Democrat-led authorities.

He was already living in Bathford when he landed the job of chief executive – meaning he had to flip a switch from being a resident wishing the council would act, to being the person in charge.

But that does not mean the village gets any special treatment, despite what his neighbours may hope.

In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Godfrey said: "Political philosophies don't come into a lot of executing of activities.

"If you're a social worker on the front line you don't come to work thinking about what the Conservatives are thinking of or what Labour policy is going to be.

"You come in to do the best job you can for the communities we serve."

An accountant by profession, he worked for KPMG, one of the "big four" accountancy firms in the mid-90s but knew it wasn't what he wanted to do.

"It was the most bureaucratic organisation I've worked in, and it wasn't fulfilling," said Mr Godfrey, 54. "I wanted to see what the private sector was like but never wanted to stay there.

"I've worked in local government for pretty much the last 30 years.

"It's about trying to make the best impact on communities.

"We probably have more ability than any other part of the public sector to improve the lives of our communities.

"We do so many different things. In Newport we counted 820 separate things we did as an organisation, but people don't see everything we do.

"I've been in organisations that were under real financial duress and been in others with more flexibility. I've had better ideas when someone has said there isn't any money to do it.

"Austerity creates problems but it also creates a culture where we are focused on solving problems rather than thinking we can't do anything.

"In local government we've been really good over the last 15 to 20 years at becoming more efficient. Central government probably thinks it can take more and more money out.

"We're at a point now where, particularly in adult social care, it's less sustainable than it was 10 years ago.

"We have to think of different ways of doing things. Things are changing around us – our job is keeping one step ahead."

This is his third post as chief executive but is the first time he has lived and worked in the same area.

"Six months ago I was saying "why can't the council do something about that?"

"The job is all-consuming. I can't ignore things. Part of my DNA is to say, "could we do this better?" Some people may find that frustrating.

"If you ask people what they think of the council, a lot of them would have a negative view, but if you ask about something like social care, their view is really good.

"People have a skewed view. You can have a negative view of the institution but most people think what we do is really good.

"Being a councillor or a council leader is a difficult job. They're very visible.

"They get a lot of negative coverage, but they also have an incredible influence on people's lives. Council leaders across the political spectrum don't get the respect they deserve.

"Pretty much every councillor I've ever met wants to make things better for the communities they serve.

"I've seen more opportunity here than anywhere I've ever worked – when you look at the social capital, the assets we own, the capability of the organisation.

"I was in my previous chief exec jobs for six and seven years.

"There's a lot to do here. I'm absolutely committed to doing it for as long as people want me to. I don't believe you can do the job for two years and fly off. I'm here to do the job I've been asked to do, and it takes time to do that."