THE new mayor of Lyme Regis said he was ‘proud and honoured’ to be elected as he was sworn in as First Citizen.
Cllr David Sarson was officially installed as mayor at the ancient mayor-making ceremony at Lyme Regis Guildhall, alongside wife Erica as mayoress, Cllr Philip May as deputy mayor and Cllr Caroline Aldridge as deputy mayoress.
In his speech, Cllr Sarson said it was a ‘great privilege’ to be mayor, thanking fellow councillors for their support and Erica for agreeing to be his mayoress.
He said: “I’m proud and honoured to be standing here as elected mayor of Lyme Regis, I will certainly not take this great responsibility lightly.”
Cllr Sarson praised the hard work undertaken by outgoing mayor Cllr Michaela Ellis and outgoing deputy mayor Cllr Cheryl Reynolds and said they would be a ‘hard act to follow’.
He praised the ‘dedicated and knowledgeable group of councillors and office staff’ and acknowledged there was a ‘lot of work to be done over the next year and beyond’.
He added: “I’m quite confident the works we have before us will be achieved and we will work together as a team.”
Cllr Sarson announced his mayor’s charities for the year would be the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group and Lyme Regis Majorettes.
In a toast to the mayor, deputy mayor Cllr Philip May acknowledged all the hard work Cllr Sarson did in the local community.
Cllr May said: “David is very keen to be involved directly within our community and will assist whenever he can on local issues. He is approachable, a good listener and not afraid of hard work.”
Local resident Nigel Ball gave a toast to the town council, thanking the organisation for all it did, the projects achieved, the councillors and staff, and for hosting the Big Coronation Party.
He said: “The council has a lot to offer to this town, with finances being good and many grants being distributed – it has been difficult due to the current economic climate.”
Responding to Mr Ball’s toast, Cllr Belinda Bawden welcomed his recognition of the work involved in assuring the council’s financial stability and providing financial support to so many local groups.
In a toast to the officers and staff, Cllr Gill Stammers praised staff for their ‘positive attitude to residents and visitors alike and their commitment to their roles’.
In response, town clerk John Wright said he was ‘extremely proud’ of his staff, who had a ‘can-do’ attitude, and said the council needed to ‘become one organisation’.
Cllr Brian Larcombe gave a toast to the town of Lyme Regis, praising the many groups, societies, charities and voluntary groups, the residents who gave their efforts and ideas, and acknowledging the wealth of opportunities for young people.
Responding, local resident Philip Evans also spoke of the many organisations in the town, which he said ‘makes Lyme Regis the special place it is’, and said they were ‘extremely lucky’ to receive great financial assistance from the council.