A DECISION on who will be the next mayor of Highworth has been postponed after councillors failed to reach a majority verdict.

Town councillors voted at a meeting earlier this week, which saw six votes for the current mayor, Maureen Penny (Con), and six votes for Phil Beaumont (Lab), with one councillor abstaining.

It is hoped a decision will be reached when councillors vote again on Monday, and Maureen Penny will remain mayor until then.

Town clerk David Lane said: “There were two nominees and both had exactly the same number of votes.

“We have put the meeting off until Monday to have a re-run of the whole thing and see if we can get one with a sufficient number of votes to beat the other.

“I think they were frustrated, it is quite unusual. It hasn’t happened in my time and I have been here since 1995.”

The matter was the first item on the agenda at the meeting and saw councillors raising their hands to vote.

“There were 13 councillors there. Six voted for either side and one abstained on both. It could be completely different on Monday,” said Mr Lane.

“It was just unfortunate that there was exactly the same number voting either way. It wasn’t an argument in any way, they were quite amicable.”

Two out of the town council’s 15 councillors were not present at the annual vote in the council chamber on Tuesday.

“We are almost half-and-half in terms of Labour and Conservative councillors, but it is not fair to draw political conclusions because we don’t get an awful lot of politics in the chamber.

“We are not politically-orientated. It would be natural for them to want their own councillor. They are not going to fight about it,” he said.

“The chairman remains chairman until such time as a new chairman is elected.

“It is not unusual to have the same person as mayor twice.

“I can think of at least three occasions since I have been here where someone has been mayor two years running.”

The next vote will take place in the council chamber on Monday. The meeting is from 7pm and the public are invited to attend.

For details, visit www.highworthtowncouncil.gov.uk.