Cllr Mark Hughes has been named Mayor of Royston, as Cllr Rob Inwood's time as the town's first citizen comes to an end.
Cllr Hughes has big shoes to fill as Cllr Inwood's tenure lasted two years and he was hugely popular in the role.
As he takes the chain of office, Cllr Hughes says he "looks forward to serving the community of Royston".
He said: "I am delighted to become mayor at such a pivotal time for the country. With lockdown restrictions easing, it is now time to look forward.
"Our town will start to feel more like normal, and Royston will soon start to feel and look more like the place we choose to call home.
"Perhaps symbolically, we will now see the reopening of the parish church. Family events such as the kite festival are scheduled to take place this summer, sport - whether as a spectator or a participant - will resume, and this September our schools will hopefully be able to offer our children an uninterrupted school year."
Cllr Hughes said he also hopes to support those who have suffered from mental health challenges in the past year, as well as giving particular attention to the needs of young people.
He added: "As a long-standing businessman in the town, I want to see us take every opportunity to ensure economic success and I will ensure that we continue to improve our environment, so that we can enjoy our town to its full potential.
"I was first elected as Royston’s mayor in 1990. The pre-digital world was a very different place, Royston was around half its present size in terms of population, and its boundaries were much smaller.
"Sadly, many of the people who made up our community 30 years ago have moved on or are no longer with us. This certainly gives a feel for our own mortality.
"We are custodians of our town for such a short time, and I think that we all aspire to leave the town better, stronger and well placed for the future."
Cllr Hughes also looks forward to welcoming visitors from Royston's European twin towns.
His mayoral consort will be his wife, Hazel, and he will be supporting After Umbrage, St John Ambulance and The Mayor's Community Trust Fund as his chosen charities.
Cllr Rob Inwood will continue as a town councillor and revealed his plans for a new political party in Royston in September last year.
As well as welcoming Cllr Hughes mayor to his mayoral position, the Crow would like to pay tribute to Rob and thank him for his time in office as town mayor. Over the last two years, Rob has been immensely popular and has engaged with the community in-person and on social media in his modest, easy-going manner.
He worked tirelessly to promote Royston and the wonderful people in our town, and tackled the challenges of the pandemic - such as Zoom council meetings, and keeping residents connected during lockdown - with enthusiasm, even when carrying out his duties at the end of long working hours in his day job.
Thank you for all your work, Rob. The Crow will continue to enjoy working with you going forward.
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