The new mayor of St Neots has said he and his fellow councillors are determined to support the town to “bounce back from this horrible crisis”.

Cllr Stephen Ferguson was elected mayor at a virtual town council meeting on Tuesday night.

Speaking to The Hunts Post the following day, Cllr Ferguson spoke about his appointment, and set out his future goals.

“Our first priority will be to help St Neots bounce back from this horrible crisis. When we met two weeks ago to discuss our response to the COVID-19 crisis, the whole council was united in its desire to do everything we can to support our community in one of its toughest episodes.”

On his appointment as mayor, Cllr Ferguson said: “I am humbled to be elected by my fellow councillors to be the mayor of St Neots for the new civic year.

“I am also very proud to be the first-ever mayor from the new part of St Neots at Wintringham and Love’s Farm. I am looking forward to working alongside my new deputy, Rob Simonis, to affecting some positive changes in our beautiful town.

“Beyond that, we will be working hard on establishing a set of strategic goals that we will work towards in the final two years of this council, several of which are directly related to supporting our town centre which was reeling from the closure of Beales, even before the COVID-19 crisis.

“Finally, as newer councillors, Rob and I both realise how intimidating council meetings can be for the general public. We want to reduce the amount of mystery that surrounds St Neots Town Council, and make our meetings more open and accessible, which will ultimately make the council more accountable for the decisions that it takes.”