TAVISTOCK Town Council is to bid farewell to three long-standing members who have all held the honour of being mayor.

Cllr Marjorie Corner, who currently holds the post, Cllr Judith Williams and Cllr Roger Mathew are not standing for re-election to the town council in May.

Cllr Corner has been on the council for eight years and was elected mayor last November. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1996, and said her condition meant she could no longer cope with the stairs leading to the first floor council chambers.

?I will miss the routine and the chance to make a contribution,? she said.

?A lot of people leaned on me quite hard to stand again, which is very flattering, but I just can?t go up those stairs any more.

?If the lift had been nearer to going in I would have happily stood again, but I can?t honestly see it being ready for another year or two.

?I?m glad I?ve been mayor for the last few months, because I hope it has shown the disabled community that we can still make a valuable contribution.?

Cllr Williams enjoyed two stints as mayor during her 15 years on the council ? first in 1983/84 and more recently in 2000/01.

She said: ?I?m very proud to have been a part of the history of Tavistock. I?m going to miss being a councillor dreadfully but my health is not as good as it should be.

?Being an active councillor is a big time constraint, so I?m looking forward to having more time for other things like gardening and various building projects.?

Cllr Mathew, who was mayor three years ago, said standing down would allow him to devote more time to his duties as chairman of West Devon Borough Council?s planning committee, if he gets re-elected.

He said: ?When I joined the town council I was 42, which was reasonably young for a councillor, but now I?m 57 and I think it?s time for some young blood to come through.

?We have precious few young people on the council. If we all stay on until we?re 95, no-one else gets a look in so there comes a point when it?s time to call it a day.?

Polling for the town and borough elections will take place on May 1.