"I did it for him" - they were the words of the newly elected councillor Eve Chicken after she succeeded her close friend Paul Scott following a by-election victory.
Voters in the Seghill with Seaton Delaval ward took to the polls on Thursday to elect a new councillor following the death of Paul Scott, the Conservative councillor who won the seat from Labour in 2021.
Coun Chicken was a close friend of Mr Scott, and the pair worked closely together during his time as county councillor while Coun Chicken was a member of Seaton Valley Community Council.
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Mr Scott died suddenly in January. The cause of his death has not been made public.
Conservative candidate Coun Chicken won on the night with an impressive 702 votes, coming in almost 200 ahead of her nearest rival; Labour's Christine Savage. Green Party candidate Clive Robson received 29 votes, while Alisdair Gibbs-Barton got 21 votes. The turnout for the election was 27.4 per cent, down from 35.2 per cent in last year's local elections.
Speaking on the night, an emotional Eve dedicated her victory to Paul. She said: "I'm elated. I did this for Paul.
"The response on the doorsteps was very positive, it went very well. People just want somebody that will get things done. That's what I have done as a parish councillor and what I will do as a county councillor.
"I got a good education from Paul and this is always what I wanted to do - not in these circumstances of course."
Discussing what she wanted to do as a county councillor, Eve said: "I want to do on the ground work more than anything else, the day to day lives of people, tackling long standing issues like overgrown trees, dog fouling, sport activities for people's kids, address anti-social behaviour.
"It's not national issues. That's for the national politicians. I am a local councillor for local people."
