Could you find a better advocate?

This comment piece has to begin with by dispelling a myth regularly spread by extreme right wing letter writers who express very strong opinions that drags down those who give their time free of charge to help their communities, local parish Councillors.

The myth is that the marketplace alterations in the town of Blyth cost Blyth Valley Council and therefore Blyth Valley residents £3m. Rubbish!

This item was debated at a group our small team attend from time to time and some research has been undertaken by students interested in local politics, what they found was interesting.

They found that the market place project was overseen and financially managed by ONE with European funds. The project was offered to Blyth Valley as it was heading towards closure and its responsibilities handed over to a new County unitary Council as a Durham Council ONE expected to take the project didn’t have any plans in place, Blyth Valley did.

At a difficult time for local government accountants, the final half year accounts of Blyth Valley did show the expenditure but when the students looked at the archived accounts, an interim authority was formed which shows the cash being paid in to cover off the costs with European funding.

So the brilliant public space in the centre of Northumberland’s largest town did not cost Blyth Valley residents a single penny.

Currently Blyth Town have a highly intelligent campaigning Labour Mayor, Warren Taylor, who is extremely proud of the market place and the whole town. He has entered the public arena following a series of very nice Civic Mayors and has shown he means business. His council is slightly in shock that their mayor is extremely willing to promote his town and use his time not only to attend civic functions but to challenge his residents to think about their town and grasp the opportunities that are just around the corner.

Research has shown larger East Coast towns like Blyth have suffered and have run down quicker than their smaller neighbours primarily due to the offshoring of work and the loss of traditional industry such as mining and shipbuilding throughout the 1980’s and haven’t yet recovered from the last decades financial crisis through the lack of quality jobs and the high numbers of families relying on minimum wage employment.

Warren and his Council who get no real help from their Tory County Council are tackling the issues of town centre improvements through working with partners to improve the local environment with the Town Council paying for grass cutting and cleansing along with their standard functions with the County Council responsible for the failed weeding of your streets.

Mr Taylor, your a refreshing change from what we are used too and we’re sure you will succeed and defy the detractors who want to run down your town and your politics.