THE Bradford Council Conservative Group has appointed former deputy leader Councillor John Pennington as its new leader, following former leader Cllr Simon Cooke stepping down from the role.

Cllr Pennington has been a Councillor for Bingley ward for nine years and has spent the last two as deputy leader, and has been elected unopposed as the group's new leader.

His former role will be filled by the Worth Valley's Cllr Rebecca Poulsen, and Cllr Mike Ellis, who represents Bingley Rural, has taken on the role of Chief Whip.

Speaking after his election, businessman Cllr Pennington said: "Often the council forgets who they work for and who pays their wages.

"It needs to be more customer focused towards the people and that’s across the divide not just Conservatives.

"I want to bring more honesty to City Hall, remove problems rather than make them and help Bradford and the district prosper with confidence."

Cllr Cooke, who has served as a Councillor in Bradford for almost a quarter of century, also announced he would be stepping down as a Councillor in 2019, and stepped down as leader after last week's election.