FORMER history teacher David Clayton has been elected as leader of North Devon Council.

The Liberal Democrat councillor for Barnstaple with Westacott takes on the role from Cllr Ian Roome (Lib Dem, Barnstaple with Pilton), the new North Devon MP.

Cllr Peter Leaver (Lib Dem, Barnstaple with Westacott) will replace Cllr Clayton as deputy mayor.

Father of three grown-up children, Cllr Clayton said it was “an honour and a privilege” to be elected.

Born in Oldham but “a Devonian by choice”, he was a secondary school history teacher in the north of England before he became head of history and politics at a school in Oldham.

He told the council that if you could handle a group of adolescents at a comprehensive in Liverpool, you could handle most things that came along on the council.

Cllr Clayton was involved in the Ecology Party in the 1970s and later became a Liberal Democrat. He was a councillor for 12 years in Rochdale before moving to Devon holding various responsibilities including chair of environment, social services and overview and scrutiny committees.

He was elected to North Devon Council, which is Liberal Democrat controlled, in 2023.

Cllr Louisa York (Lib Dem, Newport) York said Cllr Clayton was a very experienced councillor who “asked the right questions and got to the heart of the matter”.

Cllr Paul Crabb (Con, Ilfracombe) and Cllr Malcolm Prowse (Ind, Bratton Fleming) were both also nominated for the leadership.

Cllr Prowse said he did not wish to be leader but would continue supporting the administration as he had done for five years as he thought North Devon Council was “too involved in party politics”.

Cllr Clayton received 24 votes and Cllr Crabb, nominated for his commitment to and good work in Ilfracombe, received seven votes.

By Alison Stephenson