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Town's youngest and first openly gay mayor welcomed

Declan Baseley Declan BaselyDeclan Baseley
Declan Baseley is the new mayor of Chippenham

A newly-elected mayor says he is "proud" to be the town's "youngest and first openly gay mayor".

Green Party councillor Declan Baseley, 27, was welcomed as the 189th mayor of Chippenham on Wednesday, taking over the ceremonial role from Liz Alstrom.

Mr Basely said it was "incredibly important" to acknowledge how views had become more progressive over the years.

"It was wonderful to know I had the backing of all my colleagues... it meant a lot," he said.

Mr Basely said the first mayor of Chippenham was elected around 1830 and photographs at the local museum appear to show he is the youngest person to have ever held the role.

"I'm so passionate about Chippenham. I grew up here and I want to make sure it's fit for the future and a positive place for succeeding generations to live in," Mr Basely said.

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He added that - as a passionate environmentalist - he hopes to promote sustainability and encourage young local people to get involved in politics if it interests them.

"I hope they see it is possible for them to take local roles and impact the whole of our community," he said.

Mr Basely added that he was looking forward to the town's first Pride event on 17 June at Monkton Park as it was "important" for him to represent the town on the day.

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