The Conservative candidate hoping to become Copeland's next mayor has been revealed.

Millom councillor Ged McGrath has been selected and has unveiled his six-point plan.

The 60-year-old said that, by listening to local people, he understands the issues that matter to residents.

He said: “As a lifelong Conservative Party supporter, I believe in our party’s values of fairness, equality, democracy and building a society that works for everyone. I also believe that local people are best served in Copeland with common sense, sound business acumen, and shared goals.”

Ged, who lives at The Green, near Millom, grew up on a council estate in Coventry, where his father worked in the car industry, before he moved up to Cumbria.

With a varied career, having worked in hospitality, healthcare and from 2006 until 2016 owning and operating Millom Post Office, Ged more recently worked for Copeland MP Trudy Harrison as her office manager, before leaving that post to allow him more time to focus his efforts on becoming the next Mayor of Copeland.

He said: “If elected I will be there to represent my fellow Copeland residents 100 per cent. I would want to see that the council is run as a business, so that council tax is kept low, yet still ensure people enjoy high quality, value for money services.

“I would also ensure that all of our towns and villages across Copeland are kept clean and tidy and looking their best, so that people can be proud of where they live.

“As part of my plan I would also see that we have enough homes for everyone across the region, so that those who want to get on the housing ladder will be able to do so, locally, so that they can stay near to their family, friends and place of work.”

As the Conservative mayor, Ged added that he believes if elected he would be ideally placed to work with Copeland MP Trudy Harrison to ensure the government is helping to deliver locally.

He said: “As the Conservative mayor I would be ideally placed to be able to work with Trudy to seek out funding for our small and medium sized businesses, so that more people have better opportunities locally. I would also ensure that other residents who may be struggling get the support they need.

“Copeland is a fantastic place to live and work. It is my home and I would be proud to represent my fellow Copeland residents as their elected mayor.”

Last year Labour announced Linda Jones-Bulman as their candidate for the elections in May.