IT may have been a bad day of politics for the Liberal Democrats, but they were able to celebrate the elevation of one of their members to the mayorship of the town for the first time.

Councillor Stan Pajak was officially confirmed as the new mayor of Swindon at yesterday's annual council meeting.

He took over from Labour councillor, David Cox, in the presence of his wife, Dawn, and three of his four children.

And fellow councillors took the opportunity to mock his obsession with green transport, by hiring him and the new mayoress a tandem to ride home from the council chamber.

Coun Pajak (Eastcott), who is a warehouse operative at Raychem, has been a councillor for more than 20 years.

Members of all three parties paid tribute to his service and his character, before he made a speech himself.

He said: "This is a great honour for me and is something I never dreamed of.

"I have a tough act to follow but I will do my best to serve this council and the people of Swindon."