New Eastbourne mayor ‘will put great town of ours first’

At the council’s annual meeting on Tuesday (May 21), Devonshire councillor Steve Wallis (Lib Dem) was unanimously elected for the upcoming municipal year.  

He was elected alongside Sammy Choudhury (Lib Dem, Upperton), who will serve as deputy mayor for the same term.

Cllr Wallis said: “Thank you fellow councillors for your support. I promise to be fair during my tenure and look forward to seeing you at many of the events during the year.

“It is an honour to be mayor of Eastbourne for the next 12 months.

“I will do my utmost to put this great town of ours first and look forward to working with councillors, our member of parliament, officers, organisations, businesses, charities, volunteers and the public as we all strive to upgrade and enhance Eastbourne.”

Cllr Wallis named local employment charity People Matters as his chosen charity for the year.

During the meeting, councillors paid tribute to the work of the outgoing mayor Gill Mattock and deputy mayor Kathy Ballard.

Their fundraising work was singled out for particular praise, as the pair had raised more than £18,000 for the charities Wayfinder Woman and Memory Lane over the year.