WELWYN HATFIELD Mayor Kim Langley relinquished her chain of office last night, after raising more than £20,000 for her nominated charities in a highly successful year.

Councillor Langley, who raised £20,300 for the Willow Foundation and Welwyn Hatfield Women's Refuge, handed over to her successor Howard Morgan during the borough council's annual meeting in the theatre at Campus West.

Council leader John Dean said: "When we appointed Kim as Mayor we knew would be getting a whirlwind - but we didn't quite know how much of a whirlwind."

Councillor Langley thanked her husband, her staff, everybody who supported her events, and Councillor Morgan, who served as her deputy.

She said “It has been an unbelievable pleasure to serve the people of Welwyn Hatfield as their Mayor - I have met so many different and interesting people and they have all touched me deeply.”

Her successful fundraising events included the fireworks display at Hatfield House in November, a golf day which raised £4,500 and numerous others. At last night's ceremony she also presented trophies for civic awards to four people judged by an independent panel to have made an outstanding contribution to the community.

The awards went to Christine Novelli, the founder of Welwyn Hatfield Interfaith Group, Pauline Honour, site manager of De Havilland Primary School, and two 15-year-old girls, Rachel McCullough and Oren Blindell, who involved 44 Hertfordshire secondary schools in a rugby awareness week.

In a series of votes, John Dean was confirmed as council leader, the new cabinet, in which Councillor Langley will take on a new role liaising with the university, was agreed, and appointments to various outside bodies were made.

Tributes were paid to Councillor John Mansfield, who died in January, and to three long-standing Labour members, Margaret Birleson, Steve Roberts and Colin Croft, who have lost their seats.

Opposition party leaders Kieran Thorpe and Tony Skottowe gave speeches promising to hold the ruling Conservative group to account, the former warning ominously: "We expect to be very busy."