Ted Draper, the new chairman of Salisbury district council.FARMER Ted Draper is the new chairman of Salisbury district council.

The independent member for Chalke Valley was elected to the office at the council's annual meeting on Monday night. He succeeds Tory councillor Patrick Paisey.

Mr Draper, who lives at Bishopstone, was first elected to the district council in 1995 and became leader of the independent group four years later.

He was deputy leader of the council for six months in 2001 and then served as planning portfolio holder from 2002-3 and deputy transport portfolio holder from 2003-4.

He has also been a parish councillor at Bishopstone since 1967 and is a past chairman of that council.

He was born at the Three Horse Shoes public house, Bishoptone, when his father was licensee there, and he was eight years old when his family moved to Netton Farm, where Mr Draper still runs the farm with his brother and nephew.

Mr Draper has two daughters, who both live locally.

Conservative councillor Catherine Spencer, who lives at Stourton and represents the western division, has been elected vice-chairman of the district council.

Meanwhile, Tories Kevin Wren and John Collier have been re-elected respectively as leader and deputy leader of the council and will both serve as cabinet members along with Don Culver (resources portfolio holder), Fred Westmoreland (deputy resources), Dennis Brown (environment and transport portfolio holder), Sara Willan (deputy environment and transport), John Cole-Morgan (community and housing portfolio holder), Richard Britton (deputy community and housing), Margaret Peach (planning and economic development portfolio holder) and Penelope Brown (deputy planning and economic development).

County makes its choice

INSURANCE broker Bill Moss is the new chairman of Wiltshire county council.

Mr Moss (67), who lives in Winterslow, was voted into office at the council's annual meeting at County Hall, Trowbridge, on Tuesday.

He succeeds Allan Peach, who had just completed his year as chairman before losing his Amesbury seat at the county council elections on May 5.

A Conservative, representing Alderbury division, Mr Moss has been a member of the county council since 2001.

He is also a member and a former chairman of Salisbury district council, on which he has represented Winterslow since 1987. He is on the board of Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum and has worked as an insurance broker most of his life.

He is currently chairman of RBPM General Ltd, which is the major broker to the archaeological profession in the UK.

He has lived in south Wiltshire for 24 years and is married with three grown-up children. His interests include sailing, fishing and skiing.

New vice-chairman of the county council is Bourne Valley councillor Kevin Wren, who is the Tory leader of Salisbury district council.