A COUNCIL meeting paid tribute to a former mayor of Barrow.

The first council meeting since the death of councillor Rory McClure began with a minute's silence as members of the Planning Committee bowed their heads in tribute.

Councillor Colin Thomson, the chairman of the committee, said: "He was loved and respected by everyone.

"Everyone who knew him knew he was a great lad."

Councillor McClure, who represented Roosecote Ward, died on New Year’s Day.

He served the ward for 15 years and was mayor of the town between 2010 and 2011.

Following his death his family said: "We have been overwhelmed by the amount of love and support we have received from all the people whose lives he had touched.”

Conservative group leader Hazel Edwards praised him, saying: “Rory’s sense of civic responsibility was incredibly strong."