A GREEN party candidate has been elected onto the town council.

Rob Smith has joined Lyme Regis Town Council after receiving 255 votes when residents went to the polls this month. Following the resignation of former councillor Cheryl Reynolds in May.

He was up against former councillors Owen Lovell, who polled 230 votes, and Steve Miller, who received 88 votes, and Paul Edmonds, who gained 77 votes.

Mr Smith said: “I am delighted to be elected to join Lyme Regis Town Council.

“As a Green Party candidate, I am putting the environment and social justice at the heart of my work on the council. Care for the environment and care for those who are struggling are two sides of the same coin.

Mr Smith moved to Lyme Regis two years ago with his family and says he has been welcomed into the community.

He added: “I have been able to be involved with the Turn Lyme Green environmental group and am on the committee of the Plastic Free Lyme Regis campaign. I have joined the Marine Players and am on Uplyme Church’s PCC.

“I have two secondary school aged children and will bring a family’s perspective to the council’s decisions.

“Lyme Regis Town Council is already embracing environmental and socially positive policies. In July, it declared a climate emergency and began working with the local One Planet group to achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals. My election underlines the public support for these policies, and I look forward to progressing this work.

“I like to work collaboratively, listening to other’s points of view, building consensus, and ‘rolling up my sleeves’ to get things done.”

As well as working towards green initiatives and policies, Mr Smith also wants to see improved employment opportunities and more affordable housing in the town.

He said: “I plan to encourage local businesses to pay the Living Wage and will be interested in improving employment opportunities in Lyme.

“Working with initiatives such as Lyme Community Land Trust, I would like to see more affordable housing provision for local residents. I would urge the council to consider those in Lyme who are being left behind, young or old.

“As a coastal town, we are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as extreme weather and sea level rise, but with a global problem, what difference can a small town make? Lyme Regis and the Jurassic coast are world renown. I believe we can set a great example for others to follow. Welcoming visitors from around the world, our influence is far greater than our size.”