Long serving Hethersett Parish Councillor Fred Watkins has been appointed chairman following the resignation of Charlotte Land.Mr Watkins was previously vice-chair for six years and has been on the council since 1987 apart from a break of 18 months.

Long serving Hethersett Parish Councillor Fred Watkins has been appointed chairman following the resignation of Charlotte Land.

Mr Watkins was previously vice-chair for six years and has been on the council since 1987 apart from a break of 18 months. He is also a former South Norfolk District Councillor and a leading Norfolk Liberal Democrat.

He has lived in the village for 33 years and is involved with a number of local groups including the Hethersett Environmental Action Team (HEAT), Hethersett Pensioners' Association, Hethersett Friendly Club, Hethersett Society, St Remigius Parish Church, Hethersett and the Meltons Road Safety Committee and Hethersett Village Hall Management Committee of which he is secretary.

“I am very pleased to take over the chair and am very keen to build on the excellent work of local organisations such as HEAT in promoting green issues in the village.

“The parish council will also continue to work closely with the Safer Neighbourhood teams to tackle anti social behaviour and traffic issues as I know both are of concern to residents. We will be engaging with resident and looking at the parish plan to set priorities for the next three years,” Mr Watkins said.

John Nightingale has taken Mr Watkins' place as vice-chair. Previous chair Charlotte Land has resigned after moving away from the village.

A vacancy now exists on the parish council and this will be filled either by an election or co-option. Anybody interested is asked to contact parish clerk Ian Weetman on 01603 810915