BANNING cycling in the pedestrianised town centre, reviewing car parking policies and re-opening the Covered Market toilets are among the manifesto pledges being made by Darlington’s Conservative group.

The group launched its manifesto today and along with a commitment to bring new business to the town and work with the NHS to reduce the risk of ward closures at the Memorial Hospital, the document addresses several specific areas of concern for many residents.

These include:

• Budget and council tax: The Conservatives would freeze council tax for Darlington residents and review how the Town Hall is managed to make savings.

• Markets: The manifesto points out that Darlington’s Covered Market has not seen any major investment since 1979. The Conservatives want to work with existing traders to look at ways of improving the facility as well as reviewing financial incentives to encourage new stall holders to take up leases. The group has also pledged to renovate and re-open the Covered Market toilets.

• Highways and transport: The Conservatives have pledged to “use car parks to park cars, not as a tool to reduce car access into the town”. Group leader Heather Scott said that Darlington needs to do all it can to attract shoppers back from destinations such as Teesside Park and a review of the council’s parking policy was needed to see where improvements could be made.

• Rural areas: The Conservatives believe that the rural area of Darlington has been “an afterthought” for too long. The group wants to review the council’s relationship with rural communities and work to prevent urban sprawl and sporadic development in the countryside.

Speaking to The Northern Echo following the manifesto launch, Group leader Heather Scott said that the Conservatives will look at making council savings by reducing allowances paid to councillors with specific responsibilities.

She said: “Although obviously things are improving (economically), I think people are still feeling the pinch and we think it is about time the Labour group take note of the difficulties that some people are still feeling.”

Cllr Scott said that Darlington has a lot to offer but more needs to be done to encourage people into the town centre.

She said that seemingly “minor things” such as reopening the Covered Market toilets could help bring more people, particularly the elderly, into the town for longer and she expressed frustration that talks that started 18-months ago to launch a campaign promoting Darlington seem to have led to nothing.

“Darlington has got a lot of good things to shout about and we have got to concentrate on doing that,” she said.

Local elections will take place across the country on May 7, the same day as the general election.