THE next mayor of Boston will be Cllr Peter Jordan after the former hospital trust chairman was elected in a secret ballot of councillors.

Representative for North Ward since 2007, the Boston Bypass Independent defeated Conservative Cllr Colin Brotherton in the vote at a meeting of the full 32 member Boston Borough Council on Monday.

Cllr Jordan, who was awarded an OBE in 2001 for his services to Boston and the NHS, will take over as the borough's first citizen from current mayor Cllr Maureen Dennis in May.

Speaking after the results of the secret ballot were announced, Cllr Jordan told councillors he felt privileged to be the mayor-elect.

He pledged to do his best to be a "good ambassador for the borough" and to be "fair and impartial" in the mayor's role as chairman of full council meetings.

Defeated candidate Cllr Brotherton drew a round of applause from members for a gracious speech in which he congratulated Cllr Jordan on his election and wished him well in his year in office.

Formerly deputy council leader and current cabinet member for human resources, performance and improvement services, Cllr Jordan was educated at Boston Grammar School and also studied at the Harvard School of Business Studies in the USA.

Before retirement he was managing director of Norprint, executive chairman and board director of Norcros, chairman of the now defunct Pilgrim Health NHS Trust and vice-chairman of East LIncolnshire Primary Care NHS Trust.