Members of the council attended the Annual Meeting last night and appointed Cllr Akhtar Zaman as the new Leader of Bolton Council.
Representing the Bolton Labour Group, Cllr Zaman previously served as the Deputy Leader and was the borough’s first Asian and first Muslim Mayor, and has been the Ward Councillor for Queens Park and Central since 2002.
Also confirmed last night was Cllr Donaghy will now serve as Deputy Leader of Bolton Council.
Cllr Zaman, Leader of Bolton Council, said:
“I would like to thank those councillors who supported me and I will repay that faith by making sure we are focused on standing up for local people, supporting our communities, and working every day to deliver a fairer, safer, and better Bolton.
“While the hard work begins here, we’ve already got reasons to be proud, as we are seeing real progress in strengthening neighbourhoods, and improving the frontline services people depend on every day.
“Thanks to the investment and direct intervention of this council our town and district centres are being transformed in front of our eyes.
“All of this work is underpinned by strategies and policies designed to create a renewed sense of pride and optimism amongst our residents and showcase the very best of Bolton to a global audience.
“I’ll work with anyone who shares that ambition, because what matters now is delivering real, visible change for the people of Bolton.”
Alongside Cllr Zaman, the Executive Cabinet will now include:
Deputy Leader Cllr Donaghy, Cllr Ayub (Highways, Transport and Regulatory Services), Cllr Jiva (Children’s Services), Cllr Fielding (Adults Social Care Housing), Cllr Schofield (Health and Wellbeing), Cllr Khurram (Stronger Communities), Cllr Newall (Culture), and Cllr Morrisey (Climate Change and Environmental Services).