NEWTON Abbot MP Martin Wrigley has resigned his seat on Dawlish Town Council.

Mr Wrigley, who was elected as MP for the Newton Abbot constituency last year, held the North East ward seat for 10 years and served as Mayor.

Announcing his resignation, he said: ‘In the aftermath of the General Election, it didn’t feel right to have an immediate election over the summer.

‘Since then two town councillors have resigned and we didn’t have elections, both places filled by co-option.

‘My hope is for any by-election to be on the same day as the Devon County elections on May 1.

‘This would save some £50,000 compared to sharing the cost with a scheduled election.

‘It has been an honour to serve the residents of Dawlish on the town council for nearly 10 years, and to now be delivering for the town in parliament.’

In his time on the council, he said, many things were achieved to move the parish and the council forward.

He said: ‘I have had the honour of serving in many capacities, including a fantastic year of being the Mayor.

‘There is still much to do for the town and the parish, and the challenge of imminent Local Government Reorganisation will likely also bring new responsibilities, challenges, and opportunities.

‘When I was elected as the new MP in July 2024, I was asked by each council not to create immediate by-elections.

‘This was on account of the cost of by-elections to the public purse and the need to allow the elections teams time to recover from the extra work of a general election.

‘We are now approaching the scheduled County Council Elections, and as such it is time for me to stand down as a Town Councillor.

'I will miss being part of the council, and I will miss being part of the enthusiastic and brilliant team that we have, however I will stay involved in my role as MP.

‘I would like to thank all the councillors and staff for everything that they do for Dawlish and for the dedication, time and effort that they put in for the town.

‘And I would like to thank all of the former councillors and staff over the last 10 years for all the great things they have helped to achieve for the town, and to remember those that are no longer with us.’