Farnham Town Council has some new faces at its helm following the annual town council meeting.

Councillor John Ward, Farnham Town Councillor for Shortheath and Boundstone has stepped down as the Leader of the Council to take up the role of Mayor of Farnham. He will be supported by Councillor Mike Hodge who has been elected as the Deputy Mayor of Farnham. Councillor Carole Cockburn was elected as the new Leader of the Council.

The outgoing Mayor, Councillor Mrs Pat Frost received a warm vote of thanks from Councillor David Attfield for the time and continued commitment that she and her consort had put into Farnham’s communities in what had been a superb year as Mayor. Councillor Julia Potts echoed the thanks and acknowledged Councillor Frost’s dedication and hard work during the 30 years she has been a councillor. She described how during the Mayoral year, Councillor Pat Frost and her husband Bob ‘put their heart and soul into everything they did and were excellent ambassadors for the town’.

In his acceptance speech, the new Mayor said he was looking forward to ‘being able to thank, encourage and publicise the hard work put in by the army of volunteers that literally keep Farnham going’. He also pledged to ensure that communications with citizens, local institutions and other councils continue to improve and that his theme for the Mayoral year will be communication.

Councillor John Ward told the council meeting how with the help and support of his wife and Mayoress, Gillian, he would do all he could to uphold the high standards of previous town mayors.

During 2016/17, the Mayor has chosen to support the Ridgeway Community School. In explaining his choice, he described how he had wanted his charity to be local, to help people to communicate, to focus on young people and to be committed to helping those who through no fault of their own are disadvantaged’.

Any organisations that wish to invite the Mayor to an event or who would like to receive a visit should email mayor@farnham.gov.uk.