ROSS-ON-WYE Town Council has agreed to change its way it selects its mayors to give all members the opportunity to serve as its civic leader.

At this week’s meeting of the town council, Cllr Val Coker, who headed a working group to review the mayoral selection, reported back to members and said that previously there had been an issue with the current governance structure.

Cllr Coker pointed out that historically the mayor is the civic title for the chairman of the council, a position which requires the post holder to chair all council meetings.

The current situation is that the traditional role was altered with the formation of a management committee, at which the mayor no longer chairs all meetings.

Cllr Coker suggested that in future the adoption of the length of service method should be adopted as the preferred method in selecting the town mayor.

Cllr Coker said: “I think electing a mayor on seniority is the way forward. This can be whittled down a shortlist if the member does not want to take on the role.”

Meeting chairman Cllr Julian Utting suggested that as Cllr Freer has already been nominated as deputy mayor, a position that traditionally becomes the mayor the following year, that any new procedure should start with the nomination for the next deputy mayor.

Cllr Utting said: “If members agree with this proposal, then the procedure and standing orders will duly be changed.”

Members voted in favour of the way mayors are elected in future, using the seniority selection procedure.

The council then deferred voting on the immediate abolition of the management committee and the reinstatement of the mayor’s traditional role as the chairman of the council for all meetings and that the mayor and deputy mayor would serve as ex-officio members on all committees.