DEAN Phillips is Alton’s new town mayor.

A town and district councillor for Alton Eastbrooke, Mr Phillips was proposed by last year’s incumbent, Matthew Bayliss, who handed over the chain of office during last Wednesday’s mayor-making ceremony in the town hall.

In thanking councillors for their support, Mr Phillips indicated that his would be a far from conventional mayoral year. Instead of a consort, he would be selecting “community champions” to accompany him on his mayoral engagements, as part of his ‘We Are Alton’ campaign, which will see him working closely with community groups to promote their work and the town itself.

He will also be taking a different approach to the traditional mayoral charity by setting up a transparent ‘trust’ which will collect money raised during the year to be distributed among deserving causes at the end of the year.

At the same time, he will use the opportunity to promote the work of the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society, a charity close to the hearts of both himself and his wife, Alison.

Having appointed Reverend Andrew Micklefield as his town chaplain, Mr Phillips proposed colleague Derek Gardner, who was duly elected deputy mayor.

It was all change at the top with Peter Hicks proposing that Mr Bayliss take on the role of leader, while Alex Hunt became deputy.

Mr Bayliss then presented a cheque for £1,000 raised during the year to Home-Start WeyWater as his chosen mayoral charity. He also presented gifts to his clerk, Samantha Brown, and his wife, Susan.

He later took the opportunity to pay tribute to Mr Hicks, standing down as leader after five years during which time, said Mr Bayliss, he had “worked tirelessly” and “extremely hard” to leave the council in “a much stronger state” than it was before. He said he was looking forward to building on that foundation.

Pam Jones was named leader of the opposition (Lib Dem).