CRAVEN ward's first Green Party councillor says she is 'completely overwhelmed' by the support she received.

The Craven ward, which covers Addingham, elected its first Green councillor on May 5 when Caroline Whitaker secured 2,713 votes, ousting the Conservative's candidate Rebecca Whitaker who polled 2,488 votes.

Caroline Whitaker said: "I would like to say a huge thank you to all the people who voted for me. Many of them will have done so because they realise that I am dedicated to our community – working hard to save our beautiful countryside from overdevelopment, and being part of many local voluntary groups to bring about improvements to the area.

"I have been completely overwhelmed by the support I received in this election and am delighted to have been elected as the first ever Green Party councillor in the Craven Ward.

"The Green Party has had a record night across the country. In Bradford District we have doubled our number of councillors making more gains than any other party. This shows that residents do recognize that Green Party candidates don’t just want to get elected - but we want to make a real difference wherever we are.

"I would also like thank everyone who helped me with my campaign in any way; your hard work is very much appreciated.

"Finally I would like to thank outgoing councillor Rebecca Whitaker for her service over the last 4 years."