THERE is to be a straight fight between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats for the vacant seat on Teignbridge Council brought about by the death of the district authority's senior statesman, Cllr Vic Elliott.

Philip Coombes flies the Tory banner and Alistair Dewhirst stands for the Lib Dems in the Ipplepen Ward by-election on Thursday, September 23.

In May 2007, Cllr Elliott was returned with a 400 majority over his sole Lib Dem opponent.

Mr Coombes works for Newton Abbot MP Anne Marie Morris, having played an important part in her election campaign. He formerly worked in the Ipplepen Co-operative store.

He said it is an honour to have been selected as the Conservative candidate in the area he had lived and worked all his life.

Mr Dewhirst and his wife Judy have lived in Ipplepen for 30 years and ran a fashion business from their home for all but two of them.

He now serves as a director, with other members of his family, in the award-winning caravan site Dornafield – a position he has held for 12 years.

Ipplepen was represented by Cllr Elliott on Teignbridge Council for almost 20 years.

The father of the council, he was a staunch Tory. he served on Teignbridge, for more than 50 years he had been a member of Ipplepen Parish Council. Cllr Elliott died at the age of 87 in July, three weeks after an accident while working on his farm.