PRESTWICH councillor Paul Nesbit is set to don the chains of office and become the next Mayor of Bury.

The Labour man has served on Bury Council for eight years, representing Sedgley ward and is chairman of Prestwich area board.

And he plans to make it a real family affair as he wants to take his children to the civic engagements!

Coun Nesbit, of Richmond Avenue, Prestwich, will take over as the borough's First Citizen next May from Tottington councillor Bill Johnson.

"It is wonderful news and I can only express my gratitude for the honour that has been bestowed on me by my colleagues on the council," he said.

"My wife Shirley will be mayoress and we intend to turn our year in office into very much a family affair. "Whenever it is feasible we will be including our two children, Beverley who is nine and Simon, 11, in our mayoral engagements. We would like it to be a year that they will remember and one which will be as special to them as I know it will be to us."

Coun Nesbit was originally elected as a Tory in 1992, but caused a stir when he defected to Labour three years later, handing overall control of the hung council to the socialists.

He is the council's lead spokesman on human resources, and serves on the lifelong learning and c'ulture scrutiny and review panel.

He said: "Next year will be my tenth as a councillor serving the people of Prestwich and I am pleased to celebrate it as the borough's mayor. Incidentally, it is almost that long since the last mayor was chosen from among Prestwich councillors."

Coun Nesbit is also president of the Prestwich Carnival Committee. He is a council representative on a range of outside bodies, including the Jewish Representative Council, Bury Music Service, Provincial Council and Manchester Jewish Grammar School governing body.

His appointment, announced by council leaders, will be formally ratified soon.