NEWTON Abbot’s youngest ever Mayor has been sworn into office.
Cllr Alex Hall is 22-years-old and has served as Deputy Mayor since 2023.
On Wednesday May 15 he took over the reins in a ceremony at Newton’s Place, Wolborough Street.
Looking forward to the year ahead he said: ‘It is an honour to be entrusted as Mayor by my fellow councillors.
‘To have the opportunity to represent my hometown, and being the youngest Mayor Newton Abbot has ever had, is a role I take very seriously.
‘My ambition as Mayor is to always do my best to represent our town and sell it to its fullest potential at every official engagement and opportunity I can.’
He added: ‘Over the last 12 months, being Deputy Mayor has filled me with great pride. Witnessing all the brilliant work that goes on within our community can so often go unheard.
‘Gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation is something I continue to look forward to over the forthcoming year and being able to share my experiences with everyone on my social media.
Thinking back on his year in office, Cllr Corney-Walker, said: ‘Your council is continuing to take on the jobs the bigger councils find they can no longer afford. We have invested in high quality machinery to extend our ability to maintain the cleanliness of our town centre and residential areas and have recently appointed a fourth Facilities Maintenance Officer.
‘The regeneration plans for Queen Street have proved very controversial. It has to be emphasised, however, that Newton Abbot Town Council has no control over this and many other issues that affect us.
‘My year has concluded with a succession of happy events. On March 1st Austins celebrated their centenary. The store has become synonymous with our town and attracts visitors and shoppers from a very wide area. Long may it continue to do so.
‘In April we marked the 50th anniversary of the formation of Newton Abbot Council by planting two oak trees in Courtenay Park. The three days of the annual Maltingsfest drew long queues of attendees and the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) made a very generous contribution to my charity for the year – Devon Air Ambulance.
‘Finally on the 5th of May we had the first of our monthly Sunday Markets. Though the weather was not kind attendance showed these are likely to prove a successful innovation.
My sincere thanks to all the officers at the Town Council for all their hard work and support for this Mayoral year and to all those councillors who have given me their support and encouragement at throughout the whole of this year.’
The above images shows Cllrs Hall and Corney-Walker at the Mayor-Making ceremony.
