OUTGOING mayor Abbot Bryning criticised negative campaigning and 'vilification' which 'cast a shadow' over the recent elections this week.

Cllr Bryning who is the new Labour leader used his outgoing address as mayor to make the criticisms as he handed over to new mayor, Tory Sybil Rostron. It was thought by many afterwards to be a criticism of some Independents. Later he said new honorary alderman Pat Rye, who was voted out of the same ward as former council leader Stanley Henig, was "brought down because of a campaign against a colleague."

Later still Mr John Lodge said in his acceptance speech to become honorary alderman that the politicians he had worked with had been nice and honest in his own Labour party as well as in the Conservative and Liberal parties. But he added: 'I did not include the Independents. I don't think they would describe themselves as politicians in a party... there are nice Independents too.'

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