Dear Residents of Aycliffe West,
I just want to thank everyone who voted and supported me in the recent Town and County Elections, I am humbled by your support and I am sorry that we didn’t manage to get over the line. We really were a Liberal Democrat Team in Aycliffe and I am delighted that Michael Stead and Nev Jones were elected to Town and County, and equally Andrea, Jo, Maureen and Tony who will also serve on the Town Council. To my Lib Dem colleagues I say, “we have put Newton Aycliffe on a map of political achievements and I will continue to support your efforts to achieve positive change for the Town”.
I particularly want to congratulate Eddy Adam and Ken Robson for their victory in West for County, you have been handed the honour of representing the Ward and I hope that you are successful in representing the views of everyone, even those that did not elect you. Cllr Adam and I may have disagreed recently about a particular property in Arncliffe Place and indeed there is nothing wrong with disagreeing, but Eddy I respect your work as a local councillor, that’s clearly why your supporters went out and re-elected you and I apologise if you felt I showed a lack of courtesy towards you. I do though want to address one issue which has risen throughout the campaign, from a number of sources, about where Paul Whiting and myself live. The mantra that ‘we do not live in the area’ is a disappointing one and sounds more like something to come from the TV programme The League of Gentlemen! Newton Aycliffe is better than that and, I hope, now the elections are over, those who commented on where we live consider what it says about them as individuals and how it reflects on encouraging people to live, work, learn and socialise in the Town. In Paul’s case, suggesting that School Aycliffe is a divided community seemed particularly churlish. I moved to Brafferton in 1997 and have always found the North East to be a place which was warm, friendly and accommodating, as we move forward as a Town please do embrace those values of inclusivity and tolerance of each other. “Each of us was given grace” Ephesians 4:7.
James Walsh
Liberal Democrat Candidate, Aycliffe West
