A PROUD Scotsman has joked that he will aim to improve relations between North Yorkshire and north of the border after being voted in as chairman of the county council.

Councillor Jim Clark, a retired accountant who has lead the authority’s health watchdog for the last nine years, said during his year as the authority’s representative he attend an event in all of the council’s 68 divisions and would support health-related initiatives and promote cultural schemes.

The meeting was told Cllr Clark would make an “ideal” figurehead of the council, having served the community in roles ranging from school governor and local charities to leading the restoration of Harrogate Theatre.

Cllr Clark said he was thrilled to have been awarded the honour. He told members: “One of the problems I had when I first came to Harrogate was that being a Scot, most people I kept telling me the enormous damage that Scotland had done to North Yorkshire. They had burned the church at Pannal, they had raided Boroughbridge several times. There was hardly a settlement they did not raid and loot. I hope that I can get the message out that I am coming in peace.”