TONY Lloyd has been confirmed as the new interim mayor of Greater Manchester after being chosen by a panel of leaders from across the region.

Bolton Council leader Cliff Morris was among the figures to participate in a vote which resulted in Mr Lloyd, the current police and crime commissioner for Greater Manchester assuming the new position.

He defeated Lord Peter Smith, the leader of Wigan Council, who was the only other candidate to apply for the interim role.

The interim mayor will not have executive powers but will work with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, becoming its 11th member and full-time leader and will provide “strategic leadership” in the transitional period up to May 2017.

At that point, subject to legislation being passed, a directly-elected mayor will be voted in by the Greater Manchester public.

The move forms part of the government’s plan to create a northern powerhouse and was mentioned in this week’s Queen’s Speech.

One of the key roles of the new mayor will be to get the ball rolling on devolution plans which will eventually see Greater Manchester given new powers in relation to transport, housing, planning and policing.

Whoever eventually takes up the permanent role in 2017 will be ultimately responsible for those new powers but will be required to consult the GMCA cabinet on strategy, which it may reject if two-thirds of members agree to do so.

The existing Police and Crime Commissioner's role will also be merged with the directly-elected mayor's role.

The appointment — which will be officially confirmed at a GMCA meeting on June 26 — follows a series of interviews and engagement events around the region in which the two candidates have been questioned by councillors in Greater Manchester and representatives from the private, public and voluntary sectors.

Mr Lloyd said: "I'm very pleased. I know this presents an enormous challenge but there's also enormous potential.

"We've got to move quickly now because already some of the responsibilities are moving to Greater Manchester.

"The Devo Manc agenda has give us a huge set of responsibilities including things like integrating health and social care.

"People in Bolton and everywhere else are going to be looking to see how we can make that work.

"It doesn't matter what I think — it matters what the people of Greater Manchester think because this this post belongs to them."