The Aycliffe candidate who polled the most individual votes in last week’s county council elections insists now is a time to put class wars behind us and encourage partnership working at grass roots level.
Conservative David Sutton-Lloyd (pictured above, right) won 1,269 votes in the Aycliffe North and Middridge ward of the Durham County Council elections last week.
Second to him was Lib Dem candidate Michael Stead with 1,130 votes and the Tory party’s Tony Stubbs (above, left), who pipped Labour’s John Clare to third spot by just 82 votes.
There was a seismic shift away from Labour last week, with their Aycliffe representation on Durham County Council falling from five to two, while they lost overall power of Durham Council for the first time in more than a hundred years.
Scroll down to see all three Aycliffe ward results
Cllr Sutton-Lloyd – well known on the town for his defibrillator campaign – put it down to “changing attitudes”.
He Aycliffe Today: “The old class wars should surely be behind us now? Especially when you consider the awful year we’ve had.
“This is a time to forget things and move forward as a community, and I think a lot of people have recognised that.
“I’ve been passionate about community partnership work during all the time I’ve been involved in the community, because that’s what works.
“I’m looking forward to living up to our promise of partnership working, because that’s the only way we can go forward.
“I’d like to see more funding coming to the smaller groups, because it’s the people on the ground who know what needs to be done.
“We should make the county and the government live up to their promises, and that’s how I see my role as.”
Tony Stubbs will join Cllr Sutton-Lloyd, Lib Dem pair Michael Stead and Nev Jones, Labour pair Jim Atkinson and Eddy Adam and independent Ken Robson as Aycliffe’s seven representatives on Durham Council for the next four years.
Cllr Stubbs told us: “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, and I couldn’t think of a better area to be doing it in.
“When I’ve spoken to people, residents have been really keen on just seeing a change. The county council has been Labour-run for over a hundred years, and people still have complaints, and I’m hoping I can bring about that change, to the area and to the council.”
And asked about Labour’s capitulation in the county council elections, Cllr Stubbs added: “A lot of people have got Conservative values.
“Maybe they haven’t had the confidence to express that opinion. It doesn’t mean we’re unfair, or uncaring.
“We value community, we value aspirational ideas. We all want change and a better lives for our communities and our friends.”
Lib Dem pair stun Labour with big wins in Aycliffe
Aycliffe North & Middridge result:
Kathryn Beetham (Labour) 494
Dorothy Bowman (Independent) 447
John Clare (Labour) 823
Sandra Haigh (Independent) 197
Jed Hillary (Labour) 474
Andrea Miller (Lib Dem) 621
John Moore (Independent) 462
Maureen Shelton (Lib Dem) 130
Michael Stead (Lib Dem) 1,130 ELECTED
Tony Stubbs (Conservatives) 905 ELECTED
David Sutton-Lloyd (Conservatives) 1,269 ELECTED
Aycliffe East result:
Tony Armstrong (Lib Dem) 449
Jim Atkinson (Labour) 556 ELECTED
Bob Fleming (Independent) 376
John Grant (Reform UK) 114
Brian Haigh (Independent) 197
Wendy Hilary (Labour) 417
Neville Jones (Lib Dem) 966 ELECTED
Martin Peeke (Conservatives) 518
Aycliffe West result:
Eddy Adam (Labour) 539 ELECTED
Michaela Banthorpe (Freedom Alliance) 40
George Gray (independent) 354
Kate Hopper (Labour) 434
Elizabeth Maw (Cons) 350
Ken Robson (Independent) 439 ELECTED
James Walsh (Lib Dem) 196
Paul Whiting (Lib Dem) 259