Mayors from seven different towns joined Penryn residents in a crowded Temperance Hall to see Mark Snowdon elected as mayor for a second year.

After parading from the Town Hall to the Temperance Hall with the town council, mace bearers and the town crier, the mayor was thanked by councillors for his service over the past civic year before giving a resumé of the last 12 months.

He said: "As your mayor I feel I have done all that I originally set out to do in my first term of office, and more.

"It's been an honour to represent Penryn.

"During my first year I have been very fortunate to be able to tap into some very knowledgeable and experienced past mayors."

He also said that the council was preparing to take on more responsibility with Cornwall Council's devolution programme. That includes the town's library, into which the council hopes to relocate its offices, and he said: "No doubt if we didn't it would close, sooner or later."

Other things the council hopes to take on include the town's car parks and open spaces.

Mr Snowdon said the current "hot topic" was plans to increase students numbers, and that the university was positive for the town but the council also needed to ensure there was enough housing stock for the community.

He said: "I'm one of the biggest supporters of the university, there are many other places in Cornwall that would love to have such a place on their doorstep.

"If anything the students at the university breathe life into our town and I struggle to imagine life without them now."

He also said the town's harbour was an issue, as "Penryn was built around the harbour and in my view it's suffered from a lack of vision."

He added: "This needs to change. Starting with cleaning up the wrecks that have been left to rot."

Mr Snowdon spoke with pride about all the fundraising initiatives he was involved with over the year, including his selected charity the Penryn Memory Cafe, which launched in September and for which £1,688 was raised.

He said: "We have lots of people around this town that have helped this get off the ground, and we are so proud of that."

Another good cause was the Christmas Lights, and he thanked Michael and Helen Moore and the Christmas lights together, and commended everyone who worked to raise a total of £8,882 to safeguard the lights for the future.

Mr Snowdon thanked his family, the councillors and town council staff, and he gave thanks to and reappointed Diane Snowdon as mayoress, Lorna Smuda, as mayor’s warden, Jim Henderson as town crier, and Norman Hunter and Martin Northern, as mace bearers.

He thanked the previous mayor's chaplain Celia Phillips and appointed Robbie Bowen to the post for the coming year.

After he was re-elected and ceremonially presented with the town's Lady Jane Killigrew Loving Cup, the town council chose the deputy mayor for the civic year.

Councillors voted for Shelley Peters, who thanked them for "having faith" in her for the coming year.

She added: "Thanks to Mark for his guidance: he doesn't let me do a lot, and takes it all on himself. Thanks to my family."