Nine Brighton and Hove people have been voted on to the UK's first council for older people.

Former councillors will dominate the new authority, which will advise and help the city council.

Topping the poll was ex-Conservative councillor Doreen Radford, former matron of a local private children's home, who retired in 1990.

Others elected were: retired teacher Iris Abrahams, who lives in Hove; Jim Buttimer, a retired civil servant; Ted Furey, a 66-year-old former East Sussex Labour county councillor; Bob Gunnell, former manager of BBC Radio Brighton; Laurence Hill whose career covered retailing and finance; former Tory councillor Ruth Larkin; former Labour councillor Joan Moorhouse; and David Smart, a police officer for many years before working at Brighton County Court.

The election results were announced at the end of a two-day event at the Brighton Centre. Anyone aged 60 or over who attended was able to vote.

There were 18 unsuccessful candidates and the number of votes cast ranged between 47 and 319.

Coun Gerry Kielty, one of the organisers, said: "It is a brilliant result and a good cross section of people has been elected. The poll was low but it was a new democratic process.

The nine members will serve until new elections are held in May 2003 at the same time as the local council elections.

Almost 5,000 votes were cast in the election. The results were:

Iris Abrahams, 228; Morris Abrahams, 184; David Biggs, 177; Ray Blackwood 205; Jim Buttimer, 291; Margaret Cayley, 171; Richard Daniels, 190; Bryan Flint, 87; Edward Furey, 208; Bob Gunnell, 265; Marjorie Hampton, 117; Laurence Hill, 222; Sidney Hutchinson, 185; Ruth Larkin, 266; Aubrey Milstein, 105; Joan Moorhouse, 296; Peter Neish, 175; Peter Otto, 111; Eric Potton, 206; Doreen Radford, 319; Rhoda Schneider, 115; Beryl Simpson, 182; David Smart, 280; John Smith, 108; Joyce West, 180; Joan Woodley, 185; Ronald Woods, 117