Official Lib Dem Election Address
Local businessman and charity leader Nev Jones is standing on a platform of cutting council tax and making sure local people have someone standing up for them.
His colleague Tony Armstrong is backing the campaign to regenerate the local area including tackling the serious problem of empty businesses in Great Aycliffe Town Centre.
Between them they hope to bring together the community and move the whole town forward as we come out of Covid.
Tony Armstrong comments, “I can’t think of anybody better to be standing alongside than Nev Jones. He has been an inspirational leader for many years in the town and his charity work is unrivalled.
“We are really concerned that parts of the East of Aycliffe have been ignored for years by Labour and there is so much to do.
“People are paying through the roof for their council tax and not getting back, in return, anywhere near what they deserve.
Tony, a teacher, has lived in the area for nearly 20 years. He has been a regular civic pride volunteer and a champion of neighbourhood watch. Tony has also been a volunteer driver taking elderly and disabled residents to hospitals, doctors surgeries and day centres.
He explains the reason for standing, “For years our Estates have been deteriorating with parking problems, antisocial behaviour, potholes and dangerous pavements, and a complete lack of regular updates from local councillors.”
Nev Jones adds, “We’ve had dozens of people respond to us already agreeing that we must change our area for the better. I’m delighted to be standing with Tony Armstrong. Together we will be the team to fix our area. It’s completely unacceptable that people are paying hundreds of pounds more in council tax than other parts of the County Durham but getting nothing in return for this.
“This doesn’t just affect those paying the highest council tax. It filters down to everyone meaning that the average person has less money to spend on getting work done whether it be plumbing, gardening or even having money to go out for a coffee in the town when we are out of lockdown. Everyone in Newton Aycliffe is suffering because the Labour Party is over taxing us and wasting our money.
“The last straw for me was the £50 million they are wasting on their palace HQ in Durham and the astonishing £1.2 million spent on having people sat in vans outside our waste sites for the last 12 months instead of simply putting in a booking system. I really do not believe that Newton Aycliffe can move forward whilst we still have Labour councillors.
“I also fully support my colleague Michael Stead in his campaign to cut the number of town councillors and make the town council more efficient.”
Candidate Nev Jones adds “This town does not need 30 councillors on the payroll. What it needs is regeneration, a passion for every penny and an end to Labour waste.”
Tony and Nev are standing in Aycliffe East where they both live with their families.
They are urging residents to tell them they support them by emailing them at nev4aycliffe@gmail.com or texting them to 07966 898322.
