Still no treasurer for Ottery council

Ottery is still without a treasurer after the sudden departure of former councillor Paul Lewis last month.

At last week’s town council meeting there was no proposer to appoint a councillor to the position in charge of Ottery St Mary’s finances, meaning the role will remain unfilled for the time being.

While the search for Mr Lewis’ replacement continues Mayor Glyn Dobson said Ottery Town Council’s accountant and auditor are helping him look after the books, and it was he who read out the finance report for September in place of a treasurer at last Monday’s meeting in the council chamber.

Because of Mr Lewis’ resignation ahead of a planning meeting at the start of September, having spent more than four years at the helm of Ottery’s coffers, the town council has also had to appoint new members to some of its committees.

It was agreed Councillor Robin Mitchell takes over from Mr Lewis, who attended last week’s meeting as a member of the public, as the chair of the ‘finance and general purposes’ committee, and new councillor Paul Bartlett will fill the spare position.

Paul Carter will be the new chair of the personnel committee, and another recent addition to the town council, Vesey Davoren, will join the panel.

And having briefly left as a council representative at Ottery chamber of commerce meetings, Tony Abbott will take up the role again instead of Mr Lewis.