A TRAINEE accountant became the youngest councillor to be elected in Ryedale, as the Conservatives took outright control of the district for the first time.

Luke Ives, who won the seat for the Tories in the Norton West Ward, turned 19 last month.

He said: “I’m the youngest candidate ever for Ryedale District Council and the second youngest in the country at the moment.

“People are ready, they want to see change in Ryedale and want to see a more dynamic and diverse council in Ryedale.

“I was really surprised, but it’s really good news. I want to show that it’s not all antisocial behaviour, by doing something proactive for the community and addressing issues that matter to local people, like the local hospital and stopping the closure of the local library, and help the modernisation of Malton.”

Luke has a full-time job as a finance controller with debt collection, training and consultancy business Orbit Services in Malton, while also studying accountancy two days a week at Leeds College and working part-time at the Derwent Arms in Norton.

The Conservatives won 20 of Ryedale’s 30 seats, as the Lib Dems fell from eight to two, behind both the independents and Liberals.

It is the first time since 1999 that a party has had overall control in Ryedale. Among the Lib Dem casualties were husband and wife team Howard and Di Keal, who lost their seats in Norton East and Norton West respectively.

Their colleagues Jane Wilford (Amotherby), Marian Hodgson (Derwent) and Hugh Spencer (Norton West) were also ousted.

The Conservatives lost one sitting councillor, Kirkbymoorside candidate Val Arnold, as she was defeated by the Liberals’ Sarah Ward. But the party made gains in Malton, where Ann Hopkinson claimed a seat previously held by the independents, and Pickering East, where Vivienne Knaggs beat Liberal Sue Cowan.