Dear Sir,
I thank members of the public who are attending town council meetings and observing just what is going on and who are not frightend to send their comments to Newton News.
The West Park Lakes were transferred to Aycliffe Town Council from the Development Corporation as a boating lake for children, but the two lakes have never really been looked after the way that they should be. The council do what thay can with what they have, but it is not enough!
I spent time visiting South Shields lake and phoned their environment officer asking what they did to keep there boating lake free of algae. They applied for funding and have Air Fountains in the lake that breaks up the algae and the boats are run by show people who have rides etc in this area.
I also phoned the Environment Officer at Darlington Council and he had the Park Ranger answering my questions about South Park lake which I also visted. They also applied for funding to do what they do to keep the lake clean.
I do not know of anyone that requested tractors to go in to the lakes at West Park as this would do more damage than good.
I think the last time it was cleaned out by volunteers was seven year ago by two  ladies and three men who worked at Glaxo, but live in Newton Aycliffe and what a very good job they did! They went in with water waders and  forks lifting the algae out to put on the wagon to be taken away.
After speaking to other environment officers I am told there is a way of having water flowing through the lake to help get rid of algae and green weed.
There is a culvert that controls water in the top lake, but to my knowledge it is turned off – we need the water to flow to see if this helps. If we still had paddle boats on the lake this would have broken up the green weed.
At the end of the Recreation Committee meeting on 4th September I handed the Town Council Environment officer five pages of where funding can be obtained. This was sent to me by a member of the public.Included was an idea to build a shop on the old boathouse site, to be rented out to anyone who could also hire out boats on the lake.
This would be very good for the West Ward and everyone in Newton Aycliffe. I am aware this might seem like pie in the sky to the Council, but with a little bit of effort and cooperation it is surprising what can happen!
Alderman George Gray
West Ward