I should like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Aycliffe North and Middridge for electing me as their County Councillor four years ago. It was the first time I had been elected and has been an absolute privilege and a pleasure. After a lifetime working in private business, engaging in the council chamber and scrutiny meetings was an education. I spent time on both the Environment and Economy scrutiny committees as well as the Combined Fire Authority, barely missing a meeting until I was elected in 2019 as your Member of Parliament. I was delighted to engage with people like the Horndale Residents group; Middridge Parish Council, Woodham Community Centre; with David Sutton Lloyd and his work on getting defibrillators throughout the town and the PCP and Play Café amongst others, who were all fabulous to work with. I also applaud the support of the team at GAMP, led by Brian Riley, who focus on making sure the funds delivered to the town through the Council are delivered with speed and integrity. Thanks to each and every one of the people involved, they are a credit to Newton Aycliffe. As your MP I am continuing to link with these and other amazing groups to get the best for our town.
The next elections are now only a few weeks away and I would ask you to think about last weeks contribution by the Labour campaign team. They ask for experience rather than new Councillors and claim the Labour Council ‘found’ money to deliver more highway maintenance, street lighting, etc. This would be the same experienced team of councillors that removed street lights between Burn Lane and Woodham Golf Club and are building a new County Hall on a flood plain! Not experiences that I would want to repeat. Can I also say that finding money is a strange statement. Did they lose it? Was it hidden? Or did the Conservative Government provide it but they don’t want to acknowledge that? I would suggest that new Councillors might just take a look in the sweetie jars (or Reserves as they will call them) and see the truth. It is notable that in Westminster, or even next door in Darlington, some scrutiny committees are chaired by opposition members but this does not happen in Durham, even the vice chairs are totally controlled by Labour. Whilst they have absolute control they will take the opportunity to retain as much management of their own scrutiny as possible. It will only take a net loss of 6 of the 126 Council seats for a loss of this absolute control, let’s make it happen.
Thanks again for your votes in the last elections, please vote Conservative in May and let’s have a County Council that has to listen to all its residents.
Paul Howell
Councillor for Aycliffe North and Middridge
Member of Parliament for Sedgefield
