The youngest parish council candidate to represent Chigwell Row ever has been elected in a by-election.

Pranav Bhanot, 30, of Station Road, Chigwell, beat Liberal Democrat rival Joanne Alexander-Sefre by 344 votes to 288 on Thursday, July 11.

The new parish councillor hopes to kick start his tenure by introducing grassroots community engagement projects and innovation through technology to deal with casework for residents.

Speaking about his win, Cllr Bhanot said: “I am delighted to have been elected as a councillor in Chigwell Row.

“Over the past few weeks I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting the majority of residents living in the ward and now look forward to rolling my sleeves up and working hard alongside my Conservative district and county councillors to make Chigwell Row even better.

“I hope to see more young people getting involved in local and national politics.”

Alongside working with parish, county and cistrict council colleagues, the 30-year-old Conservative also plans to keep Chigwell’s streetlights on after 1am and push for extra policing to curb crime.

A five-point plan will be introduced for each street in Chigwell Row in a bid to improve the area, which includes conducting out a road audit and street lighting assessments.

Cllr Bhanot said he is keen to deal with issues relating to social isolation among elderly residents and empowering more young people to enter politics.

Free copies of his book, Get me Elected. Strategies, Tips and Tactics for Election Success, will be given to any young constituents interested in entering politics.