LONG serving town council worker Simon Fisher is celebrating gaining the top job in Devizes after 14 years of being deputy town clerk.

Mr Fisher, 55, who has been the acting town clerk for a number of months, is delighted that he can now see a number of projects he has started through to completion after being confirmed in the post.

He is particularly keen to encourage people with worries about town issues to call in at the town hall. He said: "I hope people won't be queueing around the block with complaints but I come from a service background and believe we should be offering a good service.

"Everyone knows where the town hall is and we welcome people to come in if they are worried about rubbish, overgrown paths or other problems. We will do our best to get them sorted as quickly as possible."

A number of jobs, such as emptying litter bins, that until now have been the responsibility of Wiltshire Council are moving to the town council and Mr Fisher welcomes this change. He said: "I think it has been realised that there are certain jobs that are best dealt with locally."

Mr Fisher, who is married to Trudy and has two sons, grew up in Devizes and is a former pupil of Devizes School and he later studied hotel and catering management. His family moved to Devon after he left school and he worked in the family hotel.

But he returned to Devizes in 1986 and worked in the Castle Hotel as a duty manager. He later worked in London for brewery Fullers but realised this was not conducive to family life and came back to Devizes in 1995 to work for the town council overseeing the completion of the renovation of the Corn Exchange.

In 2004 he became deputy town clerk at a similar time that Sarah Todhunter became town clerk. Health problems meant that Mrs Todhunter officially stood down from her role in January and Mr Fisher became acting town clerk.

The top position was advertised nationally but Mr Fisher was chosen to take over. He said: "I am glad that there was a full appointment process and I am proud to have been given the job."

Among his priorities will be getting the Green Lane playing field scheme, which includes new changing rooms and an artificial pitch, underway and completed.