Former councillor Carole Swarbrick has been appointed as an Honorary Alderman of the borough at last night's (9 October 2019) meeting of the Full Council.
Carole served as a councillor for Smithills ward from 1996 to 2019 and served as Mayor of Bolton in 2015-16.
Originally from Hartlepool the people of Bolton were one of the reasons she came to the town. People were very friendly and welcoming.
It’s no surprise Carole became a local councillor as she grew up with political debate and in a political family. Her father was a Conservative and her mother’s family were socialist miners. As an economics student she joined the Liberal party and was involved in the debates, during the 1970s, around joining the EEC.
When she and her husband came to Bolton 30 years ago, they moved to Smithills and she became an activist in the ward. She was voted as a councillor for Smithills ward in 1996.
Carole has spent most of her career teaching in special education. She was Executive Member for Schools & Customer Relations 2005-6. She was also a school governor of Church Road and Ladywood Schools.
An Honorary Alderman is purely an honorary title recognising their commitment to the council. It originates from the historic aldermen who were generally unelected local people who sat on the council alongside elected councillors. This was done away with by the Local Government Act 1972.
Carole is pictured receiving the Honorary Alderman certificate from the Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Hilary Fairclough. With her is her son Peter.