The former Royal Navy serviceman, now retired, was presented with the chain-of-office by outgoing Mayor Shirley Matthews at the town's Mayor-making ceremony, where local Conservative agent Ian Sherwood was elected deputy Mayor.

Mr Harman (64), of Botwright Drive on Swaffham's Heathlands Estate, told the Lynn News that he hoped the market would soon improve so that the council could press ahead with selling its surplus allotment land.

He also wants to see a start made on the proposed major housing development in Brandon Road and further progress with retirement village-style projects in Castle Acre Road and Lynn Road.

"At Hamond's High School, it would be nice to see completion of the refurbishment work so that students can get back to working without any disruption – and the new sixth form wing opened," he said.

"Breckland Council is currently transferring play and recreational areas, like the one in Merryweather Road at Swaffham, over to town councils so that is also something we will be looking forward to."

Mr Harman said the town council should soon be completing the improvements at Northwell Pool so that it was an attractive location for townspeople and outsiders to visit.

He told fellow councillors: "While the present economic clime is not very good, I believe that we should try to be positive and be thankful for all the good things that we have in Swaffham.

"Hopefully, we have seen the worst of the financial crisis and things will start to improve. I can assure the townsfolk that the town council will continue to make decisions that it believes will be to the benefit of Swaffham and its people, however difficult that decision may be."

Mr Harman's wife, Shirley, is the new Mayoress. The couple have four grown-up children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. They came to Swaffham from the New Forest area four years ago.

Mr Harman joined the Royal Navy on leaving school and served for ten years. He then went into industrial and agricultural selling, spending 23 years with one business, and he was also involved with retail selling.

He thanked Mrs Matthews for her dedicated service over the last three years. He also congratulated Mr Sherwood and his wife, Julie, the deputy Mayoress, and thanked town clerk Richard Bishop and his team for all their hard work.