Councillor Carol Birchmore has been appointed as the new leader of Radcliffe First after Councillor Mike Smith stepped down following his appointment as deputy mayor of Bury.
The leadership change comes as Councillor Andrea Booth leaves the Radcliffe First group and continues to sit as an independent councillor.
She confirmed Councillor Smith stepped down after taking on the role of deputy mayor ahead of Bury’s mayor making ceremony this week.
Speaking about Councillor Smith’s time as leader, Councillor Birchmore said he had been “a fantastic leader” and said she believed he would make “an excellent Deputy Mayor and hopefully Mayor next year”.
She added that he was “well respected by councillors from all parties” and described him as “a great communicator” who was “very easy to talk to”.
Councillor Birchmore said she had known Councillor Smith since he joined the party in 2019 and said she had encouraged him to stand as a candidate before he became the first councillor elected under the Radcliffe First banner later that year.
Councillor Smith said “Carol is an outstanding Councillor, Community volunteer and campaigner for green spaces and fair funding across the borough. As the person who encouraged my own foray into local politics, I have been privileged to work closely with her as deputy over the last 4 years.
“She will continue to work tirelessly for her community and constructively for fairness across the Borough.
“I can think of no one more able and deserving to lead the Group as we see the long awaited regeneration in Radcliffe start to come on stream.
“The future is in safe hands and Carol will have my complete support going forward.”
In a separate statement, Radcliffe First confirmed that Councillor Booth had stepped down from the group.
Councillor Birchmore said “Councillor Andrea Booth has resigned from her position as a Radcliffe First councillor and will continue to serve the remainder of her term as an independent councillor. This was a personal decision made by Councillor Booth and we respect that.
“We would like to thank Andrea for her service and contribution to Radcliffe First during her time with the group. We extend our best wishes to her for the future.”
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