"WE will do all possible to repay the confidence and the trust which you have placed in us."

That was the promise of Labour councillor Barry Briggs as he was installed as the new Mayor of Bury.

Coun Briggs, who successfully defended his Radcliffe North seat in the local elections, took over the civic chain of office from Coun Wilf Davison at a ceremony in Bury Town Hall on Wednesday.

It is a civic, political and personal double for the Briggs family -- his wife Sharon, also a Labour councillor for the ward, is the new mayoress.

Coun Briggs (64), of Old Oak Close, Bradley Fold, has been a councillor for nine years and is chairman of Radcliffe Area Board.

"This is a very happy day for Sharon and myself," he said. "We shall put in our very best effort at all times, and hope we will fulfil our mayoral obligations to the satisfaction of the council and our townspeople."

The new mayor is originally from County Durham coal mining stock, and his interest in politics has taken him from Bury St Edmunds to Bury, Lancashire -- first as a Labour Party full-time organiser and latterly as a councillor for Radcliffe North. He was elected to the ward in 1995, the same year he married Sharon, who was herself elected there in 2002.

In between he has worked or studied in Birmingham, Worcester, Wolverhampton, Salford, Durham University and Warwick University. He has a degree in sociology and Masters degrees in applied social studies and industrial relations. A social worker by trade, he retired from Salford Council in 2000.

The couple live with Coun Sharon Briggs' daughter, Natalie. Coun Barry Briggs' married daughter, Lesley, lives in Durham with his three grandchildren.

A keen Manchester United supporter -- it is claimed his love of the club brought him to the north west -- Coun Briggs is also a member of the Greater Manchester Probation Board.

The mayor's chaplain will be the Rev David Griffiths of Christ Church, Ainsworth.

"The mayoress and I see our mayoralty as an opportunity for us to publicly commit ourselves to the borough, for which we have such high regard," he said.

"We look forward to meeting the townspeople and participating in the many events that create our community, and also involving them in the work of the local authority and civic life. We will do all that we can to strengthen the bonds that unite us all."

Earlier, Coun Briggs paid tribute to the NHS as he revealed he was struck down with leukaemia only two years ago: fortunately, he had the type of blood disorder that responded to treatment.

"Having the support of a skilled and dedicated staff in the NHS makes one appreciate the importance of this healthcare throughout our lives," he said. "It is partly for this reason that I will be supporting Bury Hospice Association and Fairfield Baby Lifeline Society as my mayoral charities."

He added: "I saw first hand how various people from numerous organisations came together to help me to deal with this illness.

"From my previous experience as both a local government officer and as a councillor, I have seen the importance of local government working in partnership with others to achieve improvements to the quality of our lives."

Coun Briggs was proposed as mayor by Lib Dem councillor Vic D'Albert, who said: "Like many Man Utd fans, he was born several hundred miles from Old Trafford. He's now back near Salford, which is handy for the footie, but the north east's loss is Bury's gain. He has built a formidable reputation and is a worthy successor to Richard Fletcher, the last Radcliffe mayor."

This was seconded by fellow Radcliffe North member Tim Chamberlain, who praised the "diligent and tireless" work which he would bring to the mayoralty.

As is tradition, Coun Davison becomes the deputy mayor, and was presented with a medallion to mark his year in office.