Seaton’s new mayor has issued a statement outlining some of his aims for the coming year.

Councillor Jack Rowland praised the work of outgoing mayor Marcus Hartnell and that of fellow councillors during the time that Seaton Town Council did not have a town clerk.

Upon election, he said: “I was honoured to be elected on May 8, by my fellow Councillors to be the mayor and chairman of the town council for the municipal year 2017/18 bearing in mind that I became a councillor as recently as February 2016 as a result of a by-election.

“I will continue to work hard to repay the faith shown in me and to represent Seaton to the best of my ability.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to say thanks to Marcus Hartnell for all his hard work over the past year as mayor and leader of the town council as, having worked closely with him, I know the time and effort he spent over the past year on town council related work.

“I’d also like to thank those councillors who went over and above the call of duty from last summer to February this year to keep the council operating on a daily basis in the absence of a town clerk.

“Amy Tregellas joined as the town clerk in February and has demonstrated in the last few months how much of an asset she has been and will be to Seaton Town Council.”

He listed a number of aims and ambitions for the coming year.

These include:

• To start the process to establish a neighbourhood plan.

• Make progress with the next steps of the seafront enhancement scheme assuming we obtain planning consent.

• Aim to let out all the available rental space in Marshlands, once the remedial work is completed and to increase publicising the main meeting room for hire.

• To complete a programme of work to maintain and/or repaint the street furniture in Seaton centre.

• To develop short, medium and long term aspirations and projects as part of a council plan.

• To continue the marketing initiatives to attract more visitors to Seaton.

• Continue the efforts to retain inpatient beds at Seaton Hospital by working in tandem with the League of Friends and Martin Shaw, our newly elected county councillor to bring pressure to bear on our MP and the Health Secretary after the General Election results are known next month. Although the council could not underwrite the costs of a judicial review in the timescales available, all the town councillors are united in continuing the fight to change the CCG decision.

• To improve the way we communicate with Seaton residents.

• To re-establish the ‘have your say’ meetings when councillor representatives from the town council, district council and county council together with the police will be available.