East Cowes Councillor Karl Love has taken on a role to lead adult social care and housing and says his approach will be collaborative.

The independent, who is serving a second term on the Isle of Wight Council, said he would listen to the team and acknowledged he would need to be creative.

He told the County Press: "Money is going to be challenging and with a decreasing budget, we need to be as creative as we possibly can.

"The plan is to meet with Director of Adult Social Care and Housing Needs Carol Tozer and to listen to the team, to hear what their thoughts are.

"It would be wrong to come in like a whirlwind and throw out the baby with the water.

"We need to look at what we can do together to make things better within the current financial constraints imposed on us by government."

He was announced in the job on Wednesday night, at the meeting of the Isle of Wight Council, at Medina Leisure Centre in Newport.

The new council leader was named as Councillor Lora Peacey-Wilcox.

Cllr Love said: "I am absolutely delighted to take on the role and I am also a bit scared.

"It's a huge portfolio, but I'm hoping I will provide a pair of steady hands.

"I have worked in health and education for many years and I'm hoping I can bring some ideas to it - and also listen to the staff.

"The most important thing about this administration is we're going to be listening to people.

"We're not going to make huge promises, because we've been left with a huge deficit and we've got to look at ways of being creative around that.

"It's going to be challenging and I'm really looking forward to it.

He is confident that Team Alliance, a coalition of independents and party members will work together, but acknowledged that the division of Conservatives and others was tight.

"We have had a lot of meetings in the build up," he said.

"We needed to be sure that we are a cohesive group."