CADES Farm estate campaigner Wayne Battishill became Wellington’s newest town councillor with victory for the Conservatives in a by-election on Thursday.

Cllr Battishill, who lives in Aspin Road with his wife Chen and their four-year-old son Robin, topped the poll in a four-way contest.

He took 236 votes to give him a majority of 47 over Liberal Democrat candidate Nancy Powell-Brace, who polled 189.

Independent candidate Nick Smith came third with 62 votes, pushing Labour’s Des Pollard into fourth place on 53 votes.

The turnout for the Wellington East town poll was 20.22 per cent.

The election was caused by the resignation of former LibDem Mayor Peter Critchard, who stood down ten months before four-yearly elections for the whole council are set to be held next May.

The election of Cllr Battishill, a senior healthcare assistant in an NHS A&E unit, gives the Conservatives ten of the 15 town council seats, with the LibDems on three, Labour one and an Independent.

Cllr Battishill said: “I am so proud that people have put their trust in me and elected me as a councillor to represent our community.

“I will now work hard in the few months we have before elections are held again to show people they have made the right choice.

“Residents already know how hard I have been trying to establish a Neighbourhood Watch scheme for the Cades Farm estate, and probably more than half the people living here are now using the community Facebook page which I created.

“But there is so much more I would like to get involved with to help improve people’s lives throughout the town and I look forward to working with my fellow councillors of all parties to do this.”