A MORECAMBE Bay Independent Councillor has been awarded one of the most senior tourism posts in local government.

Councillor Geoff Knight has been named as the new vice chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA) tourism executive.

The post will see Geoff - who represents Heysham Central Ward on Lancaster City Council - working from Whitehall to lobby Government Ministers on behalf of all local authorities in England and Wales.

He is the only Independent councillor in the country to hold such a senior position - and the appointment has already seen him elevated to membership of the British Resorts Association (BRA) and Visit England, the new body to arise from the recent merger of the British Tourist Association and the English Tourist Council.

Geoff also will become a member of the newly formed Tourism