POLITICS should not get in the way of town council business, a councillor has said.

Independent councillor Mike Evans, of Shotton East Ward, told the Leader that town councillors are elected to represent the local people and their needs.

He said: "We are there to represent the people of Shotton. I'm not bothered about political bullies, I don't care who you vote for, we are there to represent our people. Politics shouldn't come into it.

"Unfortunately, people don't like change but things have got to change to be more engaging.

"We had 14 councillors turn up to our last meeting which is very rare.

"How many councillors on our council are active? The five of us who are independents are active, we are not just filling seats. It's a shame really. I think we would get more interest in local politics if politics didn't come into it."

During the annual general meeting, nominations for the new chair and vice-chair were put forward. Up for the position of chair was Cllr Gillian Brockley - who gained all nine Labour votes and Cllr Doreen Mackie - who gained five votes from the independents.

The vice-chair position was also voted for with Cllr Sean Bibby, who received all nine Labour votes and Cllr Kelly Evans, who received all five Independent votes.

Cllr Mike Evans said this was not fair as due to politics, people were not getting a fair chance to represent their constituents to their full capacity.

He added: "Hardly anyone is interested in politics but we need people to come out and express themselves.

"A lot of people put the independents together as a group but we are all individuals and we all want to represent the people.

"The people I nominated, Kelly and Doreen, are excellent councillors. We aren't asking them to be nominated for the sake of it, they do things for the community and they have got the experience to get things done.

"Town councils consist of three elements, 'those who do', 'those who don't' and 'those who just fill seats'. Politics shouldn't come into play and just the issues of the town and then one day we will have only one element, 'Those Who Do'."

The outgoing chair gave a departing summary of his year in the office and was thanked by councillors for his dedication in the role. Cllr Gillian Brockley and Cllr Sean Bibby were welcomed as the chair and vice-chair for the forthcoming year.

Cllr Brockley said: "It is an honour to be the chairwoman of Shotton Town Council for the coming year. I am grateful for the support of my fellow Town and County Councillors and Vice-Chair, who all work very hard for their communities and I look forward to continuing to work alongside them for the residents of Shotton and Higher Shotton.

"I would like to thank our retiring chairman, Cllr Gary Cooper for all of his support and for his excellent and tireless work for Shotton Town Council and our area.

"I hope to continue with his works and do my very best for the residents of Shotton."

In response to Cllr Evans' concerns, she added: "The ratio is not a determined number. Town, Community and County Councillors are elected by members of the public. On various councils there are larger numbers of Independent councillors to Labour councillors.

"Again, these councillors are elected by the residents. The number of councillors for each party depends on ward members votes. These numbers can change through each year due to by-elections."

Cllr Bibby added: "I am very honoured and privileged to be elected vice- chair of Shotton Town Council by my fellow councillors and wish all the best to Cllr Gillian Brockley in her term as chair, we both look forward to playing an active Civic Role in the Community."