Hexham Town councillor Lee Williscroft-Ferris will represent the Animal Welfare Party (AWP), switching from being independent.

Mr Williscroft-Ferris will become the second representative in the party’s history, the first in Northumberland and the North East.

Mr Williscroft-Ferris said: "I’ve made this decision because I believe it has never been more urgent to put people, animals and the planet at the heart of politics at every level.

"I believe only the Animal Welfare Party recognises the urgent need to address the challenges we face through the lens of people, animals and our planet together.

"I am proud to have led efforts to make Hexham Town Council’s work more inclusive; this vision will be enhanced with AWP behind me."

Mr Williscroft-Ferris has served on Hexham Town Council since 2021 and previously chaired both the Community Engagement Committee and Remembrance Events Sub-Committee.

The councillor has laid out three key priorities for his tenure with AWP: promoting plant-based food and drink in public settings, including council events; ensuring that all Hexham Town Council policies and events consider animal protection and habitat conservation; and pushing for sustainable transport options, such as walking and public transportation.

Party Leader, Vanessa Hudson said: "The UK prides itself on its reputation as being a nation of animal lovers and we have often led the way on rejecting practices that are harmful to animals and advancing their rights. It is only fitting then that those keen to focus on the needs of animals, nature and people should have a place in our decision-making bodies.

"We are delighted that Lee has joined us, becoming the second town councillor in our party’s history and, we hope, signalling a move to a broader-focussed and more compassionate political debate.

"We welcome him into our party and look forward to supporting his work for animals, nature and people in Hexham and beyond.”

AWP was founded in 2006 and is based on the model of the successful Dutch 'Party for the Animals' Partij voor de Dieren (PvdD), which holds three seats in the Dutch House of Representatives.

From 2017 to 2023, the party's only representative was Jane Smith, a councillor in the town of Alsager.

Smith's 2019 ‘Hedgehog Motion’, a resolution that mandated native hedging or wildlife tunnels for all new planning applications before the town council, was unanimously adopted and has been embraced by many other councils around the UK.