East Devon’s Liberal Democrats have taken another district council seat after winning a by-election in Seaton.
The contest was prompted by the decision of independent member Del Haggerty deciding to resign from East Devon District Council, as well as his from his seat on Seaton Town Council.
Stephen Hunt, a Liberal Democrat candidate, secured the seat in the by-election this week (Thursday 11 December) with 789 votes, comfortably ahead of second-placed Simon Day, who gained 565 votes for Reform UK.
That performance pushed the Conservatives into third place, with Karen Boyes securing 400 votes, ahead of fourth-placed Paul K Johns, an independent candidate.
In written campaign material, Cllr Hunt, a retired managing director of a welding company, said he had more recently been a carer for his family, who have lived in the town for decades.
“I am standing to be a local councillor to give something back to the community he is proud to call home,” he wrote on his campaign material.
He said he had been a district councillor previously, and so “brings experience” to the role, including having worked to protect the environment and local wildlife, and supporting efforts to deliver affordable homes with the infrastructure needed for local people.
Cllr Hunt added that he would use his voice on the council to “campaign against sewage spills, helping protect tourism, hospitality businesses, and Seaton’s coastline”.
Around a third of eligible voters turned out for the by-election, meaning 1,919 voted for their preferred candidate out of the 6,042 residents who could have voted.
The win for the Lib Dems comes just a week after they held the Exmouth Halsdon ward, with their candidate Cllr Fran McElhone becoming a member of the district council.
It will mean the party has 21 members on East Devon District Council, one less than the council’s array of independent members.
But the council is run by a democratic alliance including Lib Dems, some independents, and Green Party members.
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