The Labour Party in Great Aycliffe are very pleased with last week’s election results which put them totally in charge of the Town Council and a clean sweep for the County Council.

There were shock defeats for Dorothy Bowman and Paul Gittins who have lost their seats on both Councils.

Dorothy resigned from the Labour Party after not being selected to represent her ward. She stood as an Independent in the West Ward and whilst her husband, a Labour Party member,  was successful for the Town Council she lost her seat.

There will be some new faces on the Council and some old faces returning, notably Eddie Adam and Arun Chandran who brought about significant changes in how the Town Council was run last time they were in office.

It was pleasing to see support for two 18 year olds, Tom Twissel and Dan Summers. Hopefully they will represent the younger generation in Aycliffe in a positive manner.

These elections have proved that Labour still dominate in County Durham, and in Great Aycliffe they have increased their majority.