COUNCIL officials have announced Cllr Sandra Walmsley is set to be the borough's new deputy mayor.

After being nominated, Cllr Walmsley will take up the ceremonial post in May, and ultimately become Mayor of Bury.

She was nominated by the cabinet and the decision is subject to full council approval. Cllr Shaheena Haroon is the current deputy mayor.

Cllr Walmsley said: “It is a great honour and a privilege to serve Bury, a town I love, in this role.

“Bury is a fantastic borough in which to live, work and socialise and I look forward to fulfilling my duties and to meeting people, groups and businesses during my time in office.”

Cllr Walmsley became a Moorside councillor in Bury in 2010, and currently chairs the licensing and safety committees and has held several senior council roles and served on the Greater Manchester Fire Authority and Greater Manchester Housing Commission.

Previously she worked at O2 in Bury for 18 years as a lead CWU trade union official and later as a parliamentary assistant to former Bury North MP James Frith from 2017-19.

She attended Radcliffe Hall Primary School, Derby High School and Bury College before studying Criminology and Sociology at the University of Salford.

Currently Cllr Walmsley lives in Moorside with her partner and future consort, James Bentley, and serves as a governor at Chesham Primary School and volunteers with local groups such as The Attic Project, Keep Bury Clean, Chesham Fold TRA and the Friends of Clarence Park.