BOLTON'S first black mayor today spoke of his sadness at standing down as a councillor after 17 years' service. Cllr Campbell Benjamin, aged 82, is the borough's oldest councillor and has represented the Breightmet ward.
He was mayor in 1993-94, but he has announced that he will not be standing as a Labour candidate in May's local elections.
He said: "I will certainly miss it all. It is not the grandeur of the position, but the opportunity to serve the community and help people.
"I am 82, but I don't feel old. But after talking with ward members, I made the decision that it was time to stand down."
Cllr Benjamin was awarded the OBE last year for his service to the community.
Antiguan-born Cllr Benjamin came to this country after volunteering to join the war effort, working in a Liverpool munitions factory in 1942.
In 1945 he came to Bolton to work on aircraft at the former Dobson and Barlow factory.
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