Skipton and Ripon Labour Party has a new Chair. Nick Parker, 31, who lives and works in Skipton, was elected following the annual meeting of the party held in Ripon on May 15.

He succeeds Laura Dinning from Ripon who led the party for the previous three years.

Nick was brought up in Skipton and attended what is now Settle College. After working as a civil servant in Bradford for six years, he went to Leeds University as a mature student to study International History and Politics, graduating in 2017. He intends to continue his studies at postgraduate level in the near future.

Nick said: “It is a privilege to chair the local Labour Party at a time when it is growing in strength. We now have almost 900 members across the constituency and increased our vote to a significant extent in last year’s general election.

“We built on that performance in the recent local elections and I look forward to assisting the party in becoming a much greater force in local politics.”

“I am delighted that Labour councillor Alan Hickman is the new mayor of Skipton and Peter Madeley his deputy. I am also proud of the fact that Peter was recently invited to attend one of this summer’s Royal Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace –that is real recognition of the work that he has done for the town.

“I am a strong supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, and believe that under his leadership we can win the next general election.”

The annual meeting of the constituency party also elected Alan Hickman as its delegate to the party’s annual conference to be held in Liverpool in September. He will be joined by Tyler Reeton, from Ripon, who was elected as the constituency youth delegate.