CIRENCESTER'S retiring town clerk is set to hand over the reins to his successor, who says he cannot wait to take up the position.

Andrew Crook, 62, is retiring to Cyprus with his wife Hazel after holding the post for nearly a decade.

The new clerk, whose role will be to administer the work of the town council and run its offices in Dyer Street, is Andrew Tubb, currently the deputy clerk of Didcot Town Council.

He has spent two years working in Didcot but lives in Bussage with his wife Tracey and two boys George and Max, aged four and 21 months respectively.

Andrew, 38, said: "I look forward to joining my new colleagues at the town council and in serving the town. There is obviously a great deal going on in Cirencester at the moment."

He was a committee administrator at Cotswold District Council before becoming deputy clerk at Didcot, as well as clerk to the Cotswold Water Park and the Cotswold Conservation Board. Before that he worked for Avon County Council, South Gloucestershire Unitary Authority and Bristol City Council.

He said: "It was an ambition of mine to come back to Cirencester as town clerk but I didn't think I would pull it off. It will be nice to come home."

Andrew recently spoke at a national conference on shaping communities on the youth and community initiative 'Ideas Into Action'.

He said: "It's about equipping and enabling young people to contribute to the well-being of a community and building confidence and a sense of belonging.

"It is important to seize opportunities for involving and empowering local people and working together as a community to address issues which really matter to people."