AN INDEPENDENT Isle of Wight councillor has been appointed to the Council of Europe (CoE).
Cllr Vanessa Churchman has been selected as the independent member on the 18 strong group of delegates appointed to represent local government interests on the CoE’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.
The CoE is made of up of representatives from 47 European countries and was founded by international leaders including Winston Churchill in the wake of the Second World War to promote democracy and achieve common aims.
Cllr Churchman was initially nominated while she was a Conservative councillor in 2006 and served as a substitute member of the delegation.
She left the Conservatives in 2007 over changes to the Isle of Wight education system and has now been appointed as the delegation’s only independent councillor, after being chosen by the Local Government Association.
The role is funded by central government and Cllr Churchman will serve for four years.
"I do feel honoured to have been chosen," she said.
Later this month she is due to attend a plenary session of the council in Strasbourg, where issues including the trafficking and abuse of children will be on the agenda.
Reporter: ross.findon@iwcp.co.uk