A COUNCILLOR who served his constituents for 16 years has been given a distinguished title.

Keith Chapman MBE, who represented on Hampshire County Council (HCC) the Calleva and Kingsclere division, was one of four former HCC councillors to be made honorary aldermen at a special meeting on Thursday, 2 November.

The title of Honorary Alderman is made to recognise the eminent and lengthy service of former county councillors.

Sharyn Wheale, Alan Rice and the late Ken Thorner CBE also received the honour at the ceremony, alongside Mr Chapman who stood down as a councillor earlier this year.

To commemorate their work, HCC leader Councillor Roy Perry presented a framed scroll to each new honorary alderman.

Mr Chapman was first elected to the county council in 2001 for Calleva and Kingsclere Division.

He was the County Council’s executive member for culture and recreation from 2011 to 2015. Formerly, he served on the Recreation and Heritage Policy Review Committee, later the Culture and Communities Select Committee, which he chaired from 2007 to 2009. From 2009 to 2011, he was Chairman of the Policy and Resources Select Committee.

He served on Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority from 2001 to 2016, becoming vice chairman from 2013 to 2016.

Keith represented the County Council on numerous outside bodies including The Anvil Trust, Proteus Theatre Company, Hampshire Museums and Galleries Trust, Silchester Roman Town Joint Advisory Panel, Basingstoke Canal and Manydown Joint Committees and Basingstoke Road Safety Council.

Keith concluded his final years of service, 2015 to 2017, as vice chairman, and then chairman of the county council, and was made patron of the Hampshire Music Service, in recognition of his dedication to the arts.