Dear Sir,
It is becoming clear that we’ve reached that time again, when all our local councillors bombard our community magazine, your publication, with their pleas and promises of what they can bring to our area in hope that they can either maintain their current position or, take over from those whom have failed. In my opinion, they have all failed, as I’m sure many would agree, that this town is going nowhere fast! I am a true resident of this town, born and bred, and as I have grown, my world and life has changed around me. I have lived, studied and worked for a number of years in a major city. My current work takes me to every corner of the country, from Plymouth to Aberdeen but, my home and heart is here, the town I grew up in. I think a lot of people don’t realise just how nice and well laid out this town is, how different it is from many other towns across the country, we’re lucky, it could be worse. Yes, a lot of people have their issues with this town, and find a lot to moan about but, in the grand scheme of things, it’s a safe heaven, it’s unlike anywhere else I’ve ever been. However, it is also a town with no identity, a town of monotony, a town that is simply drifting with no sense of direction. A town that is missing something, missing a lot! I am well educated on our town’s history, and the fact that it was designed to have a whole lot more than it does now. It was to be a town ‘Where ideas grow’, but it has stopped growing, it is clueless. Where are the councillors who are striving to push this sleepy town forward? Where are the councillors who are wanting real progress, real development that we are all craving for? Where are the ideas to wake this town up; we don’t even have a town hall that would function as a real community theatre/cinema etc? We don’t have a lot of what we used to have, even when I was a kid!
Over the years, all I’ve ever seen is reasons why to take everything away from us; health & safety nonsense, “it cost too much”. When I was a kid, I spent many long hot summers playing at the boating lake, which many places still have, but NOT Aycliffe! We used to have a proper annual carnival, a ‘Great Aycliffe Show’ and bonfire night with a really big fire; which is not an issue for many other places in this country, just Aycliffe. We used to have a thriving shopping centre, which despite putting paint on a rusty nail, it’s still a rusty nail. We’ve lost so much over the years and gained so little in return, yet they still want our votes, but I ask you, ‘what is a vote worth’ when no one is truly offering anything substantial to the plate, and the plate being that of the future of our town, a town ‘where ideas (once) grew’. Newton Aycliffe is no longer a ‘New’ town, there are generations growing up here with a want to achieve, aspire, a want to be proud to say that this great town is their home, but they can’t, we are all being held back by apathy. What have we got to show for ourselves, really? Any councillor or councillors that show real leadership, real ideas and a real interest in the future of our town will almost certainly get my vote, and I’m sure I’m not alone with that either. But until then, what are we voting for…more of the same? Come on councillors or prospective councillors, it’s time to up your game and take this town on a new journey, you owe it to us if you really want our votes. If you want this town to be better, be a true councillor with ideas that can grow.
Name and address supplied
