HEARTFELT thanks have been expressed to county councillor Tony Barron, who will be retiring this June after serving the town of Alton tirelessly for the past 16 years.

Speaking at last Thursday's meeting of Alton Town Council, leader Peter Whitmarsh paid tribute to a "tremendous record of achievement".

"We as a community have benefited tremendously from your help and by your promotion of Alton over the years. It is hard to imagine the amount of case work you must have got through and the hours put in each week working on individual cases and for the good of this town," he told Mr Barron.

While acknowledging that town councillors had not always liked what Mr Barron had to tell them on matters concerning Alton, they knew where they stood with him and that he would not shirk any question. "His contribution to this town has been invaluable," said Mr Whitmarsh.

In reply, Mr Barron said that it had been a great privilege to have served the town and community of Alton.

At the last count he had dealt with 2,561 individual items of casework - "a task which could not be undertaken lightly" and, he confirmed, there were still a few outstanding which he would pass on to his successor.

Mr Barron pointed out that since 1985, Alton Town Council had improved the way it worked to include an item on the agenda which enabled local councillors to challenge him on any county issues of concern to the town.

It was an opportunity also to learn what was expected of him as an elected representative so that he could work for the community at county level. He had always enjoyed a good line of communication with the town hall and in particular with successive town mayors who had, he said, always been "extremely helpful and co-operative."

"All I can say to you is thanks - it's been a pleasure," he said.