A WESTHOUGHTON councillor who has faced calls to quit for living 80 miles away will resign his position ahead of next year's general election.

Cllr Sean Harkin is set to trigger a double election in the Westhoughton North and Chew Moor ward when he steps down in May.

The solicitor, who now works in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, said the decision was entirely his own and urged other young people to "think carefully" about work commitments before entering local politics.

The Conservatives, already represented in the ward by Cllr Martyn Cox, will now be targeting two seats there in May, with Labour's Cllr Christopher Peacock also defending his seat.

In May, 26-year-old Cllr Harkin faced calls to surrender his £11,000 allowance, but he insisted he was always contactable by phone and email.

But he has now opted to quit, 12 months before his term was due to finish, to "give somebody else a chance" ahead of the general election.

Cllr Harkin said: "This is the best thing for the party and the people of Westhoughton North and Chew Moor.

"I have been doing the job but somebody with less commitments could do it better.

"It is my advice to anybody of a similar age to think carefully about their main job as that is what ultimately pays the bills."

Cllr Cliff Morris, Bolton Council leader, said: "He contributed very well and will continue to do so until he steps down in May.

"It is nice to have young people on the council but I understand his position and think he is doing the right thing.

"We have got to encourage more young people to run for council as they bring a different dynamic."

Cllr Roger Hayes, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: "I think this could have been done a lot earlier and this has been unfair to his constituents.

"He has been living away from Bolton for about 18 months now I think which is not right.

"But it does prove my point that wards can manage perfectly well with only two councillors.

Cllr David Greenhalgh, leader of the Conservative group, said: "He has done the right thing. It has been clear for quite a while now that he was not in a position to fulfil his duties."