Lib Dems hold Mid Devon council seat

Tim Stanford wins Crediton Lawrence

The Liberal Democrats have retained a Mid Devon council seat previously held by the late Frank Letch.

Tim Stanford secured 540 votes in the by-election for the Crediton Lawrence ward, keeping the seat on Mid Devon District Council with the same party.

His vote share was more than double the level of second-placed Andy Hankins of Reform UK, who won 226 votes, and pushed Labour into a distant third with Terence Joseph Edwards garnering 66 votes.

Turnout was just over 27 per cent, meaning more than seven in 10 people who make up the ward’s 3,110-strong didn’t vote at all.

Cllr Stanford said his friend, Cllr Jim Cairney, who became a district council member for Crediton Boniface in 2019, encouraged him to run when the by-election for Crediton Lawrence was announced earlier this year.

At the time, Cllr Stanford had just contested a seat on Crediton Town Council’s Lawrence ward in March, but was narrowly beaten by independent Vix Frisby.

However, alongside his district council win this week, Cllr Stanford has now secured a seat on the town council as well.

“I was knocking on doors all day on election day and went to the count in the evening and it was all very exciting,” he said.

“It was really us against Reform [in the district council contest], as while there was a Labour candidate, I never saw him during my campaign.”

Asked what his focus as a councillor would be, he stated that his role was about “making sure Crediton is as good as it can be, and developing the town and the area”.

“I also want to make sure everyone gets heard, and I’ll be out and about talking to people and getting my feet under the table as quickly as I can.”

Cllr Stanford thanked the support given by Lib Dem members from across the county, as far away as Plymouth and Barnstaple, with some campaigning even carried out on his behalf by two of the party’s MPs, Richard Foord and Rachel Gilmour.

He added that he thought part of the success of his campaign hinged on the fact he lived in the ward he contested.

Cllr Stanford said green issues were high-up on his list of interests, but that he would soon be deciding which other areas he could support the councils on.

His town council contest saw him secure 458 votes against sole rival Gary Michael Stanley, an independent candidate who landed 352 votes.

Both the district and town contests were triggered by the death in April of well-regarded Liberal Democrat member, Cllr Frank Letch, who was still serving on the district council when he died, including being its serving chairman.

Cllr Letch, was Crediton’s mayor for 13 years from 2008, a position his peers said he took great joy and pride in.

Cllr Letch, who was also elected to the county council in 2021 and was also still serving that authority upon his death, was praised for his approach to his duties as a councillor and as someone who sought to transcend political division.

He had roles with several charities including Reach (Association for Children with upper limb deficiency), Devon in Sight, the Jubilee Sailing Trust, and a local preschool.

For his work and commitment to his local community,  Mr Letch was awarded the MBE in 2015.