A NEW mayor has taken over in a town after the previous incumbent resigned after only 40 days.
Cllr Keith Gill has taken over as Mayor of Gosport after being elected at a full council meeting.
It comes after Cllr Wayne Ronayne stepped down following an incident in a pub on the day he took office last month.
The Conservative ex-mayor was banned from the town’s pubs after an alleged incident at The Star in Gosport’s High Street on June 4. It was claimed that Cllr Ronayne and a group of friends, including then mayoress Paula Carter, were asked to leave the pub following an argument and police were eventually called to the scene.
Ms Carter was given a 12-month Pub Watch ban, while Cllr Ronayne was handed a six-month ban, with pub owners JD Wetherspoon saying that the group had been “behaving badly”.
Cllr Ronayne has not admitted any wrongdoing, but said he resigned as mayor to avoid bringing the position into disrepute.
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 The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.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 here