A NEW Mayor has been elected by Petersfield Town Council.
Until May 2017 Councillor James Deane will wear the chains of office for the coming year, taking over from the outgoing Mayor, Cllr Lesley Farrow.
Cllr Deane, will be supported by Cllr Jamie Matthews, who was elected deputy mayor; both were given the unanimous backing of fellow councillors.
Cllr Deane was elected to the council in 2013, and as Mayor will chair council meetings, visit local groups on behalf of the council, as well as head a fundraising campaign for his two chosen charities.
He said: “Firstly I must thank Cllr Lesley?Farrow for her tenure as mayor, and as I look round the walls of this council chamber at the pictures of the previous mayors, I realise I have some hard acts to follow.
“This year I have decided to support two charities, one is the Salvation Army Christmas Present Appeal, who give gifts to young and old in the community, who might not normally get them.
“The other is not fully finalised yet, but volunteers and some businesses are campaigning for Petersfield to become a Dementia friendly town.
“The launch of this is imminent, and I would wish to support it, and the momentum for the first year of this campaign.”
The former officer with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers will also spend his year in office representing the council at local and other functions.
Cllr Deane, who has lived in Petersfield on and off since 1952, was educated at Moreton House School in The Spain, before attending Westbury House school at West Meon and Lord Wandsworth College.
Married to Annabel, the couple have four daughters and six grandchildren, and his hobbies include current affairs, writing and family history.
He is also a trustee of the John Goodyer and Bishop Latimer Charity, a member of the South Downs National Park Forum and a volunteer member of the Hampshire Primary Care Trust.