A PARISH council chairman is to step down after two decades.
Norman Barnes, who has been at the helm of St Paul Malmesbury Without Parish Council for 21 years, intends to step down next year.
Coun Barnes, who will be 79 in two weeks' time, is thought to be Wiltshire's longest-serving parish council chairman.
Mr Barnes joined the parish council in 1969 to fight for street-lights in Milbourne, where he has lived for most of his life. He was appointed as chairman ten years later.
He said: "Nobody seemed to want the job. I ended up being proposed and seconded for 21 years, and I couldn't really say no. But now it's time for somebody else to give it a try."
He will remain chairman until January when the village's annual precept will be fixed.
He will continue as a parish councillor, and as a member of Malmesbury Town Council's Joint Burial Committee for Malmesbury Cemetery.
Mr Barnes also serves as a Capital Burgess of Malmesbury's Old Corporation.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article