BROMSGROVE'S new first citizen reckons his two highly disciplined careers in the army and the prison service provide him with the ideal background to keep his fellow councillors soldiering on and ensure they don't step out of line at meetings.

Last night, at Bromsgrove District Council's annual meeting, councillors were due to elect Councillor Ted Tibby as chairman for the next 12 months.

Ted, from Willow Road, has been vice chairman to outgoing chairman Cllr John Tidmarsh.

The new chairman says he sees his new role as an ambassador to promote the town, its interests and it residents.

He became a Conservative district councillor in 1987, when he was elected for the Waseley ward in Rubery.

He lost his seat in 1995 and had four years out of local politics before coming back to win a seat in the Whitford ward. Today he represents Norton.

A born organiser, Ted has masterminded MP Julie Kirkbride's two general election victories, as well as the local elections in 1999 when the Tories won 30 of the 39 seats.

A native of Kent, he left school at 15 and joined the Army's Royal Signals where he eventually reached the rank of staff sergeant.

In a career spanning 22 years, he travelled the world, saw the horrors of Hiroshima, war at first hand in Korea.

It was during his army days that Ted discovered he had a natural ability, through encouragement and support, to bring out the best in his men on the sports field.

While in Singapore in the mid 1960s, he assembled a multi-national squad of sportsmen - three of whom, thanks to Ted's skilful coaching, went on to represent their countries in various sports.

He is a founder member of the Droitwich Snooker League and of the sailing centre at Upton Warren.

Back in the UK it was a posting to the Midlands which eventually brought him to Bromsgrove.

At one time he was in charge of the aerials at the important signals unit in Droitwich.

There signals from the top secret spy centre, GCHQ at Cheltenham, were received and transmitted all over the world.

Ted recalls the severe winter of 1963, ironically at the height of the Cold War, when the weight of encrusted ice on the aerials' conductors caused them to snap.

Ted had to oversee the hasty repairs to enable the vital service to resume as quickly as possible.

After leaving the Army he worked as a prison officer for 18 years, locally at Brockhill and Hewell Grange, with spells of relief work at other Midland prisons.

Divorced, with two children and a grandchild, Ted has chosen his daughter Debbie as his consort for the year and she will accompany him on all official functions and engagements.

Debbie, from Bromsgrove, is a business support manger for an international company, while his son Desmond runs a successful tourism business in Canada.

Traditionally the chairman chooses a charity to support during their term in office. Ted has chosen two.

These are Worcestershire Special Olympics and Motor Neurone Disease.

"I'm eagerly looking forward to my role as chairman, and the opportunity to promote the town and its people during my year in office," he said.