Former cabinet minister Ed Balls has been appointed to the board of Norwich City as its new chairman.

The 48-year-old, who served as Labour's shadow chancellor before losing his seat at the general election in May, is a "life-long Canaries fan" and will take up the non-executive role with immediate effect.

Norwich owners Delia Smith and husband Michael Wynn Jones said that Balls's experience in the public and private sectors would be an asset to the club as they bid to retain their Premier League status.

The pair said in a statement: "We're absolutely delighted to confirm that Ed Balls is the new chairman of Norwich City. His economic know-how and experience, coupled with his passion for all things Norwich City, will be a major asset for the board and we're excited about working closely together with Ed, David McNally and the other directors in this new era for the club.

"Ed will work closely with all of us on the short, medium and long-term strategy to shape the future of this great football club."

Balls described his appointment as "an honour and a privilege", outlining his desire to establish the Norfolk side as a stable presence in the top flight.

"From the moment my dad first took me to watch City from the terraces at Carrow Road in 1973, my earliest ambition was to play for the club I loved," he said. "But the next best thing is to become chairman of Norwich City, and do what I can off the pitch to help City succeed on the pitch.

"The club's immediate priority and focus is, of course, the retention of our hard-earned Premier League status, and the hard work of my fellow directors and all of my colleagues at the club means Norwich City is in great shape on and off the pitch going into 2016.

"With that foundation, the challenge for all of us at Norwich is to go from the up-and-down fortunes I have known since I was a boy to an era of sustained success, and I will be proud to play my part in that."

Norwich currently lie out of the Premier League relegation zone on goal difference, having won just two of their last 13 league games.