The new chairman of Arun District Council will take up his role next week.

Graham Tyler will begin his term of office at a formal ceremony during the full council meeting on Wednesday, (May 23) when Stephen Haymes will step down.

Coun Tyler will hand over the vice chairmanship to Ashvin Patel.

The public meeting will take place in Arun Civic Centre, Maltravers Road, Littlehampton, at 6.30pm.

Past Arun chairman and district councillor David Hill will be made an honorary alderman at a ceremony at 6pm.

Coun Tyler, 55, has been a district councillor for four years and has served on West Sussex County Council and Littlehampton Town Council. He has been chairman of Rustington Parish Council for three years.

A family man with three children and three grandchildren, the charity he has chosen for his year is Arun Council for Voluntary Service (CVS).

Coun Tyler and his wife moved to Rustington in 1980 with their three daughters and bought the Smuggler's Roost pub in 1987. They retired from the pub trade in 2002.