A 23-year-old Dales town councillor Lord has become one of the youngest mayors in the country.

Joe Lord joined Settle Town Council in July 2008, just a few days after his 20th birthday. He now been elected the town’s civic head by seven votes to three.

“I am Settle's youngest ever town mayor and one of the youngest in the country,” said Joe, whose background is in youth work and education.

“I am honoured to have been elected as town mayor and will do my best to represent Settle and show other areas what a vibrant town it is, with so much to offer residents and visitors.

“I will continue my work supporting local youth groups, especially the Youth Council.

“I have already started planning the first of what I hope will be an annual town mayor’s reception for voluntary workers in Settle to celebrate the positive effect they have on the town and its people.”

Fellow member Dan Balsamini, who was just 19 when he was elected to the town council in 2009, said: “I think Joe is a deserving candidate as he has worked very hard for a number of different projects in Settle over the last few years. I think he will be a very fair and hardworking chairman and has the support of the people of Settle.”