PETER Chalke is standing down as Wiltshire County Council leader after 17 years.

Mr Chalke, 58, will remain a Conservative county councillor and it is believed he will stay on the council's Cabinet, the key decision making committee.

Mr Chalke is resigning as leader of the county council following his appointment as the Conservative leader and deputy chairman of the national Local Government Association.

He was previously the deputy leader of the Conservative group on the association and was the party's education spokesman.

Mr Chalke's promotion within the association means he will be based in London more.

The new role means he will be responsible for writing Conservative party policy on local government.

Mr Chalke said he will continue to represent his constituents in Salisbury St Mark and make sure Wiltshire County Council's voice is heard at national level.

He said: "Following my appointment I shall be more powerful at LGA level and it will provide me with the opportunity to bring Wiltshire to the forefront of the Government agenda.

"The Government needs to recognise the rural nature of Wiltshire and the particular issues that brings."

Mr Chalke, a grandfather, was elected to the county council in 1982 and he became the council leader four years later. Before he joined the council he owned a timber manufacturing business.

He was awarded a CBE in 1996 for his political and public service.

Mr Chalke said the highlights of his time as council leader included the successful campaign, supported by the Gazette and Herald, to get the Government to grant Wiltshire area cost adjustment status, which means the county council now gets several million pounds more in Government grant.

He also believes that the externalisation of Ringway Parkman, the council's highways contractors, brought dividends by saving the council money.

His major disappointment, however, was the failure to get backing for the new county record office and heritage centre to be based in Devizes.

He said: "I was disappointed with the Heritage Lottery Fund. They turned down the initial bid for funding because they said it was too ambitious and then they changed the criteria. I will never forgive them for that."

A new leader of the county council will be decided at a meeting on Tuesday. It is thought the present deputy leader Jane Scott, who represents Kington, will be nominated as the new leader.