The new mayor of a seaside town in west Dorset has spoken about his role as ‘an honour of the greatest magnitude.’

Cllr David Ruffle was voted in as mayor of Lyme Regis in the first meeting of the new Lyme Regis Town Council.

He will be supported in this role by Cllr Phillip Evans as deputy mayor, who was elected during the same meeting.

Cllr Ruffle first joined the town council in 2019 and is currently serving his second five-year term as town councillor.

He takes over the role from David Sarson, who stood down from the council at the end of the previous five-year administration choosing not to run again, serving as mayor in his final year of office.

Cllr Ruffle said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been elected as Mayor of Lyme Regis for the coming year.

“For me it's an honour of the greatest magnitude to be in a position to serve the town I love.

“Be assured I will be approachable and will do my utmost to act on residents’ concerns and issues. 

“I look forward to working closely with Deputy Mayor, Councillor Philip Evans and drawing on his vast experience in civic matters.”

Cllr Evans said: “I am proud to have been elected Deputy Mayor, 41 years after I last held the position prior to becoming the town’s youngest mayor at the age of 34 in 1984.

“I will do my best to support the newly-elected mayor, Cllr David Ruffle, to ensure he enjoys his year as Lyme’s First Citizen and will work tirelessly rebuild the council’s reputation so badly dented in recent times.”

Cllr Ruffle and Cllr Evans took office immediately at the meeting on Wednesday, May 15 but the traditional mayor-making ceremony will take place on Wednesday 12 June.

Due to a lack of candidates at this year’s elections, the councillors selected to represent the town council were automatically elected as just 13 candidates applied for the 14 council seats on offer.

A similar situation happened in Beaminster with only eight candidates putting themselves forward for the 11 seats.