WHATEVER our views on having an elected mayor for Greater Manchester, like it or not we will get one on May 4.

However we should all seriously consider who would serve us best.

I think it should preferably be someone who already has a lot of experience of running local government, someone who actually does come ‘from here’ and someone who isn’t just standing as a last resort opportunist after failing politically elsewhere.

Unfortunately Leigh MP Andy Burnham fails on all these important criteria, being rejected twice by his fellow Labour Party MP colleagues in their leadership elections, coming fourth against the hapless Ed Miliband and massively behind the extremist Jeremy Corbyn.

Unlike his more sensible colleagues, Mr Burnham volunteered to serve in Mr Corbyn’s Shadow Cabinet.

This raises the question of why, if his own colleagues have ignored his supposed leadership qualities twice, should we the voters consider him as being worthy of becoming our elected mayor?

Despite his many attempts at portraying himself as a successful politician, I think we should use his own stated criteria to judge whether he has achieved this.

He promised he wouldn’t use Leigh as a ‘stepping stone’ to other political positions and, importantly, that he would get the town the rail station residents have always wanted.

By becoming a candidate for mayor he has failed on both.

Someone who I think does fit the criteria is Conservative candidate Sean Anstee, who is leader of Trafford Council, was born, educated and lives in Greater Manchester and isn’t a failed Westminster politician forever linked with Labour’s discredited record in government and the party’s congestion charge attempts in Greater Manchester, which were humiliatingly rejected by a referendum.

Derek Bullock

Address supplied