THE UK’s youngest councillor has been elected in Pendle.

Lyle Davy, 18, won the Barnoldswick seat for the Tories aged just 18 years and three months.

Huge cheers erupted at Pendle Leisure Centre when the result for the Coates ward was announced.

He ousted the Lib Dem councillor Lindsay Gaskell by 49 votes, overturning a 365-vote majority.

The ward had previously been a Liberal stronghold for 16 years.

Lyle said he was inspired to go into politics after meeting Prime Minister David Cameron at the Alma Inn in Laneshawbridge last year, where he was working as a part-time barman.

He said: "He gave a speech to Conservative party members from Pendle, and then spoke to a group of staff, including myself.

“He was talking about wanting to get young people involved in politics.

“I’d never considered it before then, but I’m friends with Coun Paul White, and so he was my middle man, and I went through the process to become a candidate.

”It was that that made me want to be a Conservative councillor.”

Mr Davy, a marketing apprentice at new PR firm Creative Half Dozen, in Fence, said he felt very positive about his new role.

And the former Nelson and Colne College student, who lives in Westfield Road, Barnoldswick, said many of his friends didn’t even know what a councillor was before he became a candidate.

He said: “I had to do a lot of explaining, but their support for me since then has been phenomenal.

”I’d especially like to thank my 14-year-old sister Hollis, who was brilliant and did everything she could for my campaign.”

Lyle, who lives with his parents, Tracy and Graham, managed to raise £4,000 in an attempt to save Barnoldswick Town Football Club, where he is a semi-professional goalkeeper, which is one of his goals as ward councillor.

He said: “It’s looking good for the club in the long term, but there’s still more work to do.

“I also want to tackle dog fouling in the town and the issues with the town bus service at the bottom of Barnoldswick.

“I’m really keen to get more young people voting.

“People who’ve never voted before have come out for the first time.

“This has been the first time I’ve voted and I’ve been elected councillor.

“There’s been a lot of young people coming out to vote, which is great because it shows we can have a say on what we want, and do what we want.

“I’m going to be following those votes through and getting young people involved in politics.”

Andrew Stephenson, Pendle’s MP, said: “I think it’s fantastic to get more young blood on the council and I’m particularly delighted by the huge swing achieved by Lyle.”