Okehampton Town Council has elected a new councillor to fill one of the positions left when Deborah Sanger and Paul Jessop stepped down from the council earlier this year.

Councillor Caleb Botton was elected via co-option to the council at the end of last year and attended one of his first meetings at the beginning of this week (January 16).

Though not Okehampton born and bred, Cllr Botton had been visiting the town for many years before finally becoming a permanent resident.

He said: ‘There’s a rich history to understand - the trains and the new buildings - and to be a part of keeping the culture for people into the future in a way that serves. Living here I know everyone’s pet peeves.’

Cllr Botton has a wide range of experiences having worked as a law and communications professor for many years, consulted internationally, travelled widely and made several documentaries throughout his career.

Co-option occurs when a councillor position becomes available between local elections. Under law, a resident can call a by-election to a council vacancy which the council in question is then obliged to hold as long as the request is signed by at least ten people on the area’s electoral roll and submitted within the fourteen days following public notice of the vacancy.

If no valid by-election is requested within that time frame then councillors have the right to co-opt a new member meaning that councillors are able to choose any applicant without seeking the approval of members of the public.