Great Lever councillor becomes Mayor of Bolton at town hall

Cllr Ayub received the chains of office from Akhtar Zaman before a crowded council chamber on Wednesday.

A little over 12 hours earlier, in the same council chamber, Nick Peel was chosen as the new leader of the authority in a much more low-key meeting.

But there was no lack of ceremony in this meeting where Martyn Cox, the old leader of the authority, moved a motion for Cllr Ayub to be appointed.

Cllr Cox remembered the tenure of Cllr Zaman, which included everything from regular events such as Bolton Ironman and the food festival to rare events such as the Platinum Jubilee and the visit of His Majesty King Charles.

"2022 will live long in the memory for all of us," he said.

On the visit of King Charles, he added: "I'm sure that's a day neither of us or anyone else will forget. It was a most memorable occasion."

The motion for Cllr Ayub to be appointed was supported by his own son, Farnworth North councillor Nadeem Ayub.

He described his father as "a pragmatist" and, for fans of Dad's Army, "a Corporal Jones 'Don't Panic' type of person".

Mayor Mohammed Ayub

"I'm delighted to second the motion. I'm absolutely honoured to be at the mayormaking of my father," he said.

Delivering a message from the family of the new mayor, which includes six children and 14 grandchildren, he added: "We are proud of you and we love you dearly."

After a chorus of 'ayes' approved the motion, the new mayor received the chains of office and, once he was sworn in, he stood to address all of those in attendance.

He reflected on his childhood in Pakistani Kashmir then his arrival in the town in 1972, before a colourful career in the cotton industry, the automotive industry and other industries led him to become involved in politics in 2006.

He said: "I'm immensely proud of the role I've played.

"I do wish my mother and my father were here today."

Cllr Zaman said: "It's been an absolute honour to serve as the mayor of this town, especially as the first Asian and Muslim mayor.

"If I were to sum up the experience, apart from you are treated like royalty, you get to see the best of this town and there's a lot of it."

The new mayor chose his wife, Zaibun Nisa, to be the new mayoress. His charities of choice are Bolton NHS, Bolton Deaf Society and the 12th Bolton Scout Group.

His inauguration is to be marked by a procession, which leaves Victoria Square at 10.40am on Sunday, before a service at the Parish Church a short time afterwards.

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.