THE Liberal Democrats are celebrating a victory in the Okehampton Town Council by-election with candidate Pat Snell scooping 48 per cent of the votes.

In the three horse race Mrs Snell won 165 votes with independent candidates Patrick Shea and Charles Enderson gaining 94 and 86 votes respectively.

She is the second Liberal Democrat member on the council — Cllr Sheila Gregory having been re-elected last year — and fills the vacancy left by the resignation of Cllr Tony Gregory.

The 56-year-old former president of Okehampton WI said this week she was delighted with the outcome but disappointed only eight per cent of the electorate turned out to vote.

'I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to be on the town council — I certainly did not expect such a conclusive victory,' she said.

'It is a shame more people did not take up their right to vote but I think it is the same everywhere with town council elections. It is the general elections where people make more of an effort.'

Mrs Snell, who has lived in Okehampton for eight years but in the area for nearly 20, has four children and six grandchildren and is currently on the management committee of the Citizen's Advice Bureau.

She said she had always believed there was no place for party politics in local government but she was a Liberal Democrat and wanted to stand as one.

'It was not right to be something I was not and being disabled I have had a lot of help from party members in getting my message across,' she said.

'Having been elected I will represent Okehampton and all its residents.'

The new councillor will campaign for local people to have a greater say in what happens locally following the controversial St James' Chapel enhancement scheme, which some people felt was imposed on them by West Devon Borough Council.

Mrs Snell is keen to improve disabled facilities and get the young more involved in things that happen in the town and its future.

Okehampton Liberal Democrat chairman Peter Webb said the result was good, especially just before the county council and general elections.

'This was a bit of a dry run for us — we put quite a lot of work into the town council,' he said.

'Mrs Snell has been a Liberal Democrat for a number of years and we wanted her to stand because she has a lot of experience of being on various committees.'

Mr Webb said members did not regard the victory as a party political one.

'Mrs Snell will hopefully be as independent as the next person — it is a pity we have politics creeping down to lower tiers of Government but I am afraid it is the way things are going.'

A Liberal Democrat candidate will be chosen to stand for county council elections at the branch annual meeting on March 9.