By Francesca Evans

The leader of East Devon District Council and three other Cabinet members - all previously elected as members of the Independent East Devon Alliance – will stand as Liberal Democrat candidates in the elections on May 4.

Leader of the council Cllr Paul Arnott (Coly Valley); Cabinet member for Tourism, Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nick Hookway (Exmouth Littleham); Cabinet member for Coast, Country and the Environment, Cllr Geoff Jung (Woodbury & Lympstone); and Cabinet member for Climate Action, Councillor Marianne Rixson (Sidmouth Sidford), have announced they will all stand as Liberal Democrats in the upcoming idstirct council election.

They were previously elected as members of the Independent East Devon Alliance and later joined the council's Democratic Alliance with other party members.

In a joint statement, they said they believed that a Democratic Alliance would provide a "sustainable future" and standing as Lib Dems was a way to help guarantee this.

They commented: "For the last three years, we have been proud to be part of the Democratic Alliance leading the council as Independent, Lib Dem and Green councillors.

"Under this administration, East Devon is the only district council in Devon to balance its books without major borrowing from reserves. 

"Together, we led the district through Covid-19, supporting thousands of individuals and businesses. We kept our leisure centres open. We made huge strides in environmental protection, from new projects to sea defences, and created new economic strategies around tourism and culture.

"We have invested sustainably in the economic powerhouse in the west end of the district, which will lead to more than a thousand new jobs. We dealt with toilet and car park legacy issues which were ignored by the Tories for more than a decade.

"We believe that this Democratic Alliance of the last three years is the sustainable future for East Devon. The historic election victory of Richard Foord MP last summer was a watershed moment.

"In order to grow a progressive, centrist East Devon - with Homes, the Environment and Economic Growth at its heart - we believe that by standing as Lib Dems we can help guarantee this for the future."

Nub News will be offering all local candidates in the East Devon District Council the opportunity to make a statement before the election.