Romsey'S new mayor has called on residents to act on young people's concerns.

Setting out his objectives shortly after taking office on Tuesday evening, Mike Richardson, a staunch champion of Romsey's youth, stressed it was only a small minority of young people that caused trouble in the town.

"There seems to be two major factors affecting Romsey where I intend to take some action. The first is young people - the huge amount that they contribute to Romsey must be applauded but we must take action on their concerns rather than just listening to them," said the first citizen, who was also mayor in 2002.

Mr Richardson said: "You may not be aware of recent problems caused by a very small number of young people, which overshadows the immense amount of good and positive activities by the vast majority, of whom the Romsey Youth Council is just one example. I received an e-mail this afternoon about Romsey Town Under 18s football team. They have achieved a double this year - they are the Southampton Youth Champions and on Saturday won the Youth Cup. What other club can claim a league and cup double this year?"

Turning to his second concern - retail and commerce - Mr Richardson said: "Nobody can halt the tide of supermarkets and few of us can afford not to take advantage of the range of items and special prices they offer. However, we cannot then complain about the lack of choice in the town.

Fortunately, the Chamber of Commerce is doing a wonderful job in marketing Romsey and Phillip Liddell should be congratulated on his work as president over the last two years. We need to maintain and improve not only the footfall but also the turnover in Romsey. Every outlet needs to be attractive and make themselves as welcoming and accessible as possible to passers-by. I have huge admiration for the people who run businesses in Romsey and for the efforts that they make. One example is the tremendous range of restaurants in the town. None of us need to go anywhere else for an evening out."

Paying tribute to outgoing mayor Jill Gethin, Mr Richardson said: "You have done a wonderful job in a very tough year. Several people have mentioned that Jill excels at public speaking - she is always short and to the point. I am trying to learn from that example.

Mr Richardson's mayoral charities are Allsorts, a youth club for people with special needs, and the Dr Peter Centre for Scouts. His third charity will be a Romsey Town Mayor's Award - recognising young people who have changed their behaviour and made a positive contribution to the community. In her mayor's retirement speech Miss Gethin said she was "overwhelmed" by the warmth of the people of Romsey.