LEDBURY'S new mayor and deputy mayor say they are united in their wish "to build a strong town council that serves the needs of the people of Ledbury".

Both women have lived in Ledbury for decades but they are relative newcomers to the town council, with a fresh outlook.

Cllr Debbie Baker, aged 46, who became the town mayor at last week's annual town council meeting, said she was "extremely proud" to be voted in by fellow councillors and she recognised the challenges that lay ahead.

New deputy mayor, Cllr Elaine Fieldhouse, aged 56, said she shared the same aims as Cllr Baker to create a strong town council with a focus on serving the electorate.

At the meeting, in nominating Cllr Baker, who first became a town councillor in May 2015, the outgoing deputy mayor, Cllr Keith Francis, said he would not stand to be mayor himself and that it was "time for the council to look to the future".

"We need to put the past months behind us," he said.

A former John Masefield High School student, Cllr Baker is an administrator of the popular "Voice of Ledbury" Facebook site.

One of her mayoral charities will be the Kawasaki Support Group.

Kawasaki syndrome is an acute illness usually seen in children, most commonly under eight years of age. It is an inflammatory process that can affect almost every system in the body.

It affected Cllr Baker's own daughter, Millie, in 2012.

Cllr Baker's other mayoral charity will be the bereavement support charity, the Madison Shelbie Trust, which helps parents who have lost babies during pregnancy, at birth or shortly afterwards.

Cllr Baker will have no one particular mayoral escort during her time as mayor, but she will be escorted on occasions by family members, fellow councillors and friends.

Cllr Fieldhouse is the wife of Ledbury optician, David Fieldhouse, and she helps with the running of the practice.

She has lived in Ledbury for 30 years. Her son, Edward, works for Bevisol and her daughter, Lily, has been a Ledbury town councillor.