The new Lord Mayor and Sheriff of Norwich are due to be sworn in next week - but coronavirus means the traditional ceremony has had to be moved.

The mayor-making ceremony usually takes place at City Hall, with a procession through the streets of Norwich.

But, because of the number of people who attend, council bosses are not comfortable with holding the meeting in Norwich City Council's council chamber, so it has been moved to St Andrew's Hall.

The next planned incumbents of the civic posts are Labour councillor Kevin Maguire, due to become Lord Mayor and Caroline Jarrold, of Jarrold and Sons, set to become Sheriff.

Norwich Evening News: Caroline Jarrold. Picture: ANTONY KELLYCaroline Jarrold. Picture: ANTONY KELLY (Image: Archant Norfolk 2016)

The ceremony will take place on Monday, May 24.

They will replace current Lord Mayor Labour city councillor Vaughan Thomas and Sheriff Dr Marian Prinsley, an educational psychologist and past president of the Norwich Hebrew Congregation.

Mr Thomas and Dr Prinsley had been due to end their roles in May last year, but the Covid-19 pandemic meant their civic years were extended.

Norwich Evening News: Flashback to the 2019 mayor-making ceremony. Lord Mayor of Norwich, Vaughan Thomas, with his wife, Lady Mayoress, Vivien Thomas, and the Sheriff of Norwich, Dr Marian Prinsley, with her husband, Peter Prinsley, on the City Hall steps.Flashback to the 2019 mayor-making ceremony. Lord Mayor of Norwich, Vaughan Thomas, with his wife, Lady Mayoress, Vivien Thomas, and the Sheriff of Norwich, Dr Marian Prinsley, with her husband, Peter Prinsley, on the City Hall steps. (Image: Archant)

Meanwhile, Norfolk County Council has confirmed that its annual general meeting, where the leader of the council is confirmed, has had to be switched to the Norfolk Showground.

Work to revamp the council chamber and committee rooms at County Hall is still continuing, so the annual general meeting - on the same day as the Norwich mayor-making ceremony - cannot take place there.

The council has switched all of its June meetings to the showground due to the ongoing £2.7m work at County Hall.

That work includes removing asbestos and improving ventilation.

Norwich Evening News: 83 seats at Norfolk County Council are up for election.83 seats at Norfolk County Council are up for election. (Image: Archant)

By July, the work on the council chamber should be completed, so meetings will be held there, with committee rooms deemed too small for Covid-safe meetings.

As part of the Coronavirus Act 2020, mandatory local authority meetings could be conducted remotely, such as via virtual Zoom meetings, from April last year until May 7 this year.

But the government said it would not legislate to extend that beyond May 7, so physical meetings, rather virtual ones, have resumed.