An invited audience gathered at the Princess Pavilion last night to witness Falmouth mayor Steve Eva be sworn in to lead the council for the fourth and final term.

This is the first time that the annual mayor making ceremony has been able to be held in public since 2019 due to the pandemic.

Councillors had already voted for Cllr Eva to continue in his role as mayor at an earlier committee meeting along with Cllr Kirstie Edwards as deputy mayor for the second year running.

Endorsing Cllr Eva, Cllr Jude Robinson told the assembled audience that she was "delighted" to nominate him as mayor again.

Accepting the nomination, Cllr Eva said the councillors don't get paid but they worked because they believed in the town.

"This team of 16 councillors is probably the best team of councillors I have ever worked with in all my 19 years of being a councillor," he said. "The town council has been growing in the past three years the biggest of which was taking over this facility [Princes Pavilion]. We were told six weeks before that we had the option to take it over before it went on the open market.

"If it went onto the open market there would have been flats here now rather than the pavilion. I just believe we did the right thing. Just need to look at the pavilions and the gardens to see that we did the right thing."

He said a sad note was that the town lost the Ships and Castles leisure centre but discussions were ongoing with Cornwall Council and several councillors were working on this.

"Hopefully we will get somewhere and Cornwall Council will be true to their word and we'll end up with a pool that is fit for purpose in the next two or three years but we will work on it and hopefully get a facility that Falmouth can be proud of."

He said thanks were due to the town manager Richard Gates and his team there were a number of events planned for this year. He said the council has 'brilliant' staff and presented Emily Middleditch and Val Rogers with bouquets and chocolates and town clerk Mark Williams with a gift.

Mr Eva said his nominated charity this year was a bespoke charity and he would be working with Castle Sports and local schools to enable people in the community who haven't got money to buy sports kits for their children by raising money through the mayor's fund

Last year's nominated charity was Georgia's Voice for which he raised £1,000 which will be presented to founder Sophie Alway when she attends the next full council meeting.

He said the last three years had been: "really enjoyable, hard work, but I will give my all for the next year."

READ NEXT:

'Awful' racial abuse left me upset and frightened, shopkeeper tells the Packet

Cllr Eva proposed Kirstie Edwards as deputy mayor saying she had been at his side for a year. The proposal was seconded by Cllr Jayne Kirkham who said it was lovely to have a "strong" female deputy mayor. The vote was carried.

Accepting the nomination Cllr Edwards said it was an "absolute privilege" for a mum of six who lives in a council house to serve as deputy mayor and it was about getting "stuck in" and reaching out into the community and really listening to people.

"We go to the people we don't expect them to come to us," she said. "The role is about listening and learning about what the town really needs whilst wearing this chain with great pride, which I do."