A new Mayor of Dacorum was appointed at the annual inauguration ceremony this week.

Councillor Gbola Adeleke became the new mayor at the event which was held at Hemel Hempstead Civic Centre on Wednesday, May 20.

The event was attended by former mayors, honorary members and distinguished guests as the departing mayor, Councillor Allan Lawson, handed over the chain and robe to Councillor Adeleke.

In his acceptance speech, Councillor Adeleke congratulated the outgoing mayor for his work over the past year, which saw over £18,000 raised for his charity, The Chilterns Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centre.

Councillor Adeleke said: "One of the tasks I had to perform as Deputy Mayor was to select my charity for my mayoral year.

"We had a number of requests, all very worthy indeed and each playing a commendable role in our community.

"It was a very hard decision, but in the end we decided to choose The Rennie Grove Hospice.

"Rennie Grove Hospice has been caring for local people for 30 years.

"The hospice enables patients in Dacorum with life-limiting illnesses to choose how and where they want to be cared for towards the end of their lives and ensures that their families have access to support and counselling."

The new mayor intends to put community engagement at the forefront of his year with various planned fundraising events, namely a multicultural gala evening, a community event day and a family fun day for children with learning difficulties - a cause close to his heart.

Councillor Adeleke added: I will also use every opportunity to engage with the youth in our community and hope that my successors will carry on with the initiative."

The position of Deputy Mayor for 2015 to 2016 was appointed to Councillor Robert McLean and Councillor Andrew Williams was confirmed as Leader of the Council, with responsibility for Community Partnerships.

The following councillors were appointed as portfolio holders:

Councillor Margaret Griffiths - Deputy Leader and Housing

Councillor Graeme Elliott - Finance and Resources

Councillor Neil Harden - Residents and Corporate Services

Councillor Janice Marshall - Environment, Sustainability and Regulatory Services

Councillor Graham Sutton - Planning and Regeneration