HORWICH has elected its new Mayor for the coming year.

Cllr Peter Wright was voted in as successor to Cllr Steve Rock by members of Horwich Town Council this week.

He will be sworn in at a Mayor making ceremony on May 10.

It will be the first time Cllr Wright, Labour representative the Bridge ward, has held the position.

He told The Bolton News he felt “privileged” to have been chosen as the town’s next Mayor.

Cllr Wright continued: “It was a pleasant surprise to be elected and I look forward to being Mayor for the new year.

“It’s really nice to have the support of my fellow councillors, because when I came to Horwich I had little more than the suit on my back. Horwich has been a fantastic place for me, it’s brought me out of myself.

“It’s been brilliant, I have managed to build a lot of confidence and make a lot of friends . Three years ago, when I enquired about being a councillor I had no idea that I would one day become Mayor and have the confidence and have the confidence I have now.”

Cllr Wright says he intends to promote greater unity on the council during his tenure.

He said: “I will be hoping to get a nice calm feeling on the council and trying to get all the parties working together.”

And he added: “At the moment political parties sit together and we don’t tend to get on as well as we should. I would like to bring the council together and for us to have more say in what we do in Horwich.

“”I’m very privileged to get this position and I’m hoping to make the most of it, work hard at it and get some new facilities for Horwich.”

The Mayor-in-waiting has also chosen to support charities during 2018/19: MhIST, the Over-50s Lad’s Club and Horwich Widows.

He said: “I raise a lot of money for mental health charities. Mhist have been fantastic, they have helped me as a service user and I’ve also been a volunteer, they are a charity close to my heart.”