Popular local Independent Councillor Ken Robson will be standing for Durham County Council, South Ward on 1st May. Ken has lived and worked in Newton Aycliffe since 1964 and has been instrumental in some great endeavours over that time from forming Woodham Burn Neighbourhood Watch, building Aycliffe Central Residents Association to finally registering ACORN Community Association Newton Aycliffe as a fully registered charity.
ACORN has been active, over the years, with many campaigns including fighting to save our police station which was demolished under Labour Police & Crime commissioner Ron Hoggs tenure and then had the land sold off depriving residents of a police station. We were promised a police station, but ended up with a small office attached to our fire station. As a Councillor, Ken has continued to fight for a police station in Newton Aycliffe and an increase in police numbers.
ACORN fought Durham County Council to have elderly people’s bins collected from their houses when DCC insisted the elderly and infirm must drag their bins to the end of their roads. ACORN was instrumental in saving the popular fireworks display. Ken and ACORN participated in opposing the hazardous waste plant on the business park, fearing for the healthy future of our children.
Over several years, Ken and the ACORN team have worked tirelessly to implement summer fun days for our children, Halloween parties for local people, petting zoos in both the leisure centre and recently in the town centre, open to all, as well as Christmas Panto trips.
Where others followed the party line, Ken has argued the case for the retention of our local council tax reduction scheme, which has recently added to our town council rates, and has pledged to always have the local residents in mind with every decision he makes.
Ken has possibly been the most active Mayor of Great Aycliffe, bringing visitors from other areas, as far away as Northumberland, to see the fantastic facilities which we have here in Great Aycliffe and showing dignitaries our fantastic historic Church in Aycliffe Village, the worlds first passenger railway station, Locomotion, on our super busy business park, facilities such as ROF 59, Planet Leisure, Ruff and Tumble and our very own OakLeaf Sports Complex and Golf Club.
With its beautiful well-kept parks, Aycliffe has much to be proud of and, as a Councillor custodian, Ken says “I will protect the green areas that we all love and continue to fight for the return of our Police Station.”
A vote for Ken is a vote for Aycliffe and a voice at Durham County Council.