EPPING Forest District Council has elected Anne Grigg as its new chairman.

Mrs Grigg, a Conservative district councillor for North Weald, was promoted to her role at last night's (May 25) full council meeting, the first held since the latest round of elections on May 6.

The chairman's charities will be Cancer Research UK, St Clare Hospice, Chigwell Riding Trust, and the Essex Air Ambulance.

Mrs Grigg said she would also take part in this year's Race for Life at North Weald Airfield, and asked people to sponsor the council’s director of environment and street scene John Gilbert who will be raising money on behalf of the chairman’s charities when he sails cross the Bay of Biscay to Spain next month.

Also at the meeting, Loughton Residents Association councillor Ken Angold-Stephens was elected vice-chairman while Di Collins was re-elected council leader.

The council's cabinet remains largely unchanged except for the absence of Mitch Cohen, who was not re-elected this year.

His seven remaining cabinet colleagues are joined by Lesley Wagland and outgoing chairman Penny Smith, who announced at the meeting she would be donating £4,000 from her year of charity fundraising to the Alzheimers Society.

With the positions for this year's council all allocated, tributes were made to former councillors who had not been returned after the elections.

Particular warmth was reserved for former council chairman Ann Haigh, who lost her seat after 14 years representing the residents of Buckhurst Hill.