A FORMER mayor and a serving Bolton councillor have been chosen as new councillors in Horwich.

Councillors voted in the two new town councillors by a majority vote as there was insufficient interest from members of the public to hold a by-election.

They voted in Ken Denton, aged 68, a former Liberal Democrat councillor and town mayor, who stood for Labour and had retired from the town council due to illhealth two years ago.

Horwich North East Labour councillor Richard Silvester also got the vote.

One vacancy, for Lever Park ward, was created by Kieran McGeehan’s resignation from the town council last year.

The other, for Bridge ward, was created after the removal of Liberal Democrat Nicholas Cornthwaite vote in at the last election.

However, he failed to attend meetings or to apologise for his absence for more than six months and was removed.

There had been four candidates for the two wards.

Labour’s Cllr Silvester had gone head-to-head with Conservative candidate Anne Galloway for the vacant Labour seat. Cllr Silvester had stood for Horwich Town Council twice before in elections. The other seat, which had been held by the Liberal Democrats, was contested by Mr Denton, for Labour, and the Liberal Democrat’s candidate, former town councillor and mayor Bernard McCartin, aged 70, who was prosecuted for benefit fraud in 2009.

The results have strengthened Labour’s majority on the council.

Cllr Denton said: “I am really pleased to be representing the people of Horwich again.”

Cllr Silvester added: “I have a genuine interest in making Horwich a better parish for all of its people.”