WITNEY'S new mayor is aiming to 'bring the town together' as he begins his year in office.

Duncan Enright was elected at the first full town council meeting of 2019/20, with fellow Labour member Joy Aitman becoming his deputy.

Mr Enright, who is leader of the district's Labour group, was first elected to the town council in 2011, but this is the first year his party has had a majority in the chamber.

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After his election, the new mayor vowed to work 'for everyone' and pledged to ensure the bond between Witney and its twin towns, Unterhaching and Le Touquet, remained strong.

He said: "My role is to bring the town together and celebrate all that is great about Witney, making sure we all look after each other.

"I also represent our town to the outside world, along with others, including to our twin towns, whose partnership we value particularly at this time of international upheaval.

"We would, I’m sure, all like Witney to be a confident, welcoming, happy market town, in the heart of the United Kingdom and Europe, no matter what the bigger politics brings.

"I hope this year will be one where everyone can enjoy becoming involved with the town council."

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Mr Enright's wife, Sally-Ann, will be his consort for the mayoral year.

The councillor has stood for Parliament three times, most recently in the 2016 by-election, when he finished third.

He was also on the Labour list for the South East in last month's European elections.

Mr Enright has lived in Witney since 1996 and studied physics at Oxford University's Wadham College in the early 1980s.

Following a career in scientific publishing, he now runs his own specialist firm in Witney, publishing books to improve cancer care.

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During his tenure, the new mayor will support three charities.

The first is Friends of Springfield School, on Cedar Drive, while he will also champion Witney Woodland Volunteers and The Wychwood Project to help make the town more environmentally-friendly.

His final charity is Oxfordshire Mind, which has a base on Moorland Road.

Before last month's local elections, the town council had been Conservative-controlled for at least 10 years.