It has been over a decade since she was last elected as town mayor.

And now Linda Monument is back to a role she loved having in Dereham.

In a town council meeting held on Tuesday night at Dereham's Memorial Hall, Linda Monument was unanimously voted in as mayor, after serving as deputy mayor for the last two years. 

Dereham Times: Linda Monument celebrates her inauguration and the town council's 50th anniversary.Linda Monument celebrates her inauguration and the town council's 50th anniversary. (Image: Dereham Town Council)Mrs Monument succeeds ex-military police officer, Hugh King, who was elected in 2022. 

In his outgoing speech, Mr King noted that he "thoroughly enjoyed" being mayor. 

He said that one of his biggest challenges was working through the death of Queen Elizabeth II, but added he "could not have done it without his team".

Handing over the baton to Mrs Monument, he said: "Linda, I wish you all the best, and we'll be there to back you." 

A few councillors also paid tribute to Mr King's work. 

Cllr Philip Duigan said Mr King was "very good at speaking with the public," and could always be found at public events, the reopening of the Bishop Bonner's Cottage being the latest. 

Dereham Times: Cllr Ray O' Callaghan chaired his first meeting as deputy mayor alongside the new mayor of Dereham.Cllr Ray O' Callaghan chaired his first meeting as deputy mayor alongside the new mayor of Dereham. (Image: Dereham Town Council)Closing the inauguration, Mrs Monument had only this to share: "Hugh, you're going to be a very hard act to follow." 

Cllr Ray O'Callaghan was elected as the new deputy mayor.