NEW mayors and deputy mayors have been elected across Ryedale.

Kirkbymoorside Town Council elected Cllr Nick Holroyd as town mayor and Cllr Joe Coughlan as deputy.

A retired solicitor, Cllr Holroyd moved to Kirkbymoorside with his wife five years ago.

He said: “I joined the town council in October last year, and to be appointed mayor is a great privilege for me.

“The council has done a lot of good things in recent times, but for all Kirkbymoorside is a great place to live, it is not without its problems.

“With my colleagues on the council, I hope we can work together with local groups and the community to deal with important issues such as traffic, parking, the environment, helping our young people and to make sure that our local businesses can thrive.”

At the annual Pickering Town Council meeting, Cllr Helene Haythorne was elected town mayor for 2019/20 and Cllr Helen McAnulty-Rickard as her deputy.

In Helmsley Cllr Ian Saggers was appointed as chairman and Cllr Jonathan Fairburn as vice-chairman.

Norton Town Council has elected Antony Croser as mayor and Ann Spencer as deputy. Cllr Croser, who joined the town council in 2014, said: “I am Norton born and bred so it is an honour to be mayor.

“I am passionate about our environment and keen to see our town looking good and operating effectively, efficiently and positively for existing and future residents and businesses, and getting Norton’s voice heard.”

Cllr Paul Emberley is the mayor of Malton and Cllr Kelly Ennis as deputy.

He said: “Malton is an absolute gem in so many ways – and we’ve witnessed the renaissance of our town in the last five years.

“We’ve still much to do. There’s a broad consensus for the town council to continue to use its influence to fight for sensible measures and lasting solutions to address the traffic issues in Malton – and the effect that has on our air quality. That remains a priority.

“The good environment of our town and setting remains critical to our success.

“As a vibrant market town, our heritage is also enormously important, and I’d like us to make tangible progress on exploring new ways to celebrate our past – we’ve a lot to shout about and so indeed, we have work to do.”