Steve Goodheart is Bognor’s new mayor

Mr Woodall has served as Mayor of Bognor Regis since 2019 and called for the vote of no confidence after declaring his own departure from the role.

He nominated Wayne Smith to take Mr Goodheart’s place and was seconded by Kenton Batley.

Mr Woodall said: “As much as I like Cllr Goodheart, and I would have liked him to have the job, I’ve had my concerns right from the beginning and now, basically, I just don’t feel that he’s the right person-with all the hats that he’s got on at the moment – that he’s going to be able to cope with the position of Mayor.”

The council voted on the decision and Cllr Goodheart came out on top.

Eight councillors voted for Mr Goodheart and two voted for Wayne Smith.

A further three, including Mr Smith himself, abstained.

When asked in the meeting why he abstained and whether or not he agreed to be put forward for the mayoral position, Mr Smith said: “I did agree to be put forward for this but without all the information involved, hence why I abstained.

“Not only is Cllr Goodheart a friend of mine, he is a good councillor.

“It was just how it was said at the time.

“I was always going to abstain if my name was actually involved in the process.”

Having accepted the office, Mr Goodheart made Cllr John Barrrett the deputy mayor, to which the council unanimously agreed.

Mr Goodheart is also standing for election to West Sussex County Council and was unable to comment due to purdah restrictions ahead of this year’s elections.

In an acceptance speech made during the meeting, he thanked the council for it’s hard work and outgoing Mayor Phil Woodall for his support over the last two years.

He said: “This job is incredibly exciting and I’m really looking forward to supporting local businesses when invited.”