AN East Lancashire council's new leader and keen football fan has pledged to boost the economy of the borough.

Thursday's annual meeting of Blackburn with Darwen Council confirmed Councillor Phil Riley as its political boss, replacing Cllr Mohammed Khan who retired at May 5's local elections.

Tory councillors abstained in the vote.

Raised in Chorley, Cllr Riley is a long standing supporter and season ticket holder at Blackburn Rovers.

He told the meeting at Blackburn Town Hall: "I am looking forward to working with my Labour colleagues to continue the economic progress that has been made in the borough in recent years.

“We have just received an overwhelming vote of confidence from the borough’s voters in the local elections and we want to continue to provide opportunities for the borough’s young people to live and build their careers here.

“It was a great honour to work with my long term friend Mohammed Khan. I only hope that I can be as good a leader as he has been.”

Cllr Riley was first elected to Blackburn with Darwen Council in 2011. He represents the Roe Lee ward, where he lives with his long-term partner Ann.

He had been the council's deputy leader for seven years and was formerly its growth and development boss.

The authority's Conservative group leader Cllr John Slater said: "We did not vote for Cllr Riley and his team because if we had when we come to criticise the leader and his executive it would be hypocritical.

"We will hold him to account as we always have done when Labour wastes Blackburn with Darwen council taxpayers' money on pet projects and when they mismanage the authority's finances."

Denise Park, the council’s chief executive, said: “After the last two years, we’re getting back to business as usual and identifying priorities for the years ahead."

The meeting confirmed Cllrs Quesir Mahmood and Julie Gunn as its deputy leaders.

The executive board positions were also rubber-stamped with Cllr Mahmood taking over growth and development and Cllr Gunn remaining in charge of education and children's services.

The other executive members are: adult social care Cllr Mustafa Desai; public health and wellbeing Clllr Damian Talbot; environment Cllr Jim Smith; digital and customer services Cllr Mahfooz Hussain; and finance Cllr Vicky McGurk.