A councillor standing down after 40 years service in Darlington has thanked residents for their continued support.
Doris Jones has called time on her career in local politics after representing the town on the national stage. The member for Sadberge and Middleton St George, alongside her husband cllr Brian Jones, has decided not to stand for re-election at this week’s vote.
Now aged 80, and having spent more than half her life on Darlington Council, cllr Jones has reflected on a successful tenure. Such is her dedication to the town that she was awarded Freedom of the Borough in February, something she described as “the icing on the cake and a tremendous privilege”.
Cllr Jones served the town as its mayor between 2002-03 and received an empire medal for her community work, but she insists she didn’t intend to be involved in politics for long. First elected in 1982 in the Whinfield ward - then named Haughton East - she was outraged at plans to convert Barmpton Quarry into a waste disposal tip.
“Every dustbin in Darlington and Newton Aycliffe would pass our garden. I thought, I can’t let this happen. So I set up a local campaign and helped prevent it.” It was during that initial fight when she caught the politics bug and never looked back.
Cllr Jones explained: “I wanted to stand up for neighbours, I had no political interest at all, but it snowballed from there. Heather Scott and others convinced me to stand for the Conservatives.” On reflection, cllr Jones says it was a perfect match as she adored the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In 1987, she stood for election in Middleton One Row and was elected by a margin of just nine votes. She’s been a councillor ever since and has represented Sadberge and Middleton St George ward since then.
Born in Albert Hill before moving elsewhere around the town means she has witnessed huge change in the town. She said: “Darlington has changed for the better, but there isn’t the sociability that there once was. I can’t say I’ve regretted [being a councillor] because it’s been very fulfilling and funny but also sad.”
While political work has never been easy, cllr Jones says it was events in her early life which inspired and instilled a determination to help others. She said: “I had pneumonia five times as a baby, which left me with a shadow on my lung which had to be taken out, so I now don’t have two full lungs.” It meant she missed a lot of school as a child to receive surgery and treatment but never stopped fighting. Despite the health difficulties, she completed the Great North Run early in her career, in 1983, to help Whinfield Primary School get a computer.
“I was born with that determination. I’m fortunate enough to have had the strength to say yes to many things, and if you fail then so what, what’s the worst that can happen? That’s what’s got me through life, but unfortunately now I’m 80 and my health isn’t the best.”
There have been difficult days, too. One council meeting in the early years stretched from 6pm to 6am such was the political indifferences on the council at the time. Seeing Middleton St George Primary School ablaze and damaged beyond repair, and then dealing with distraught families was a low point, she added.
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“It's been difficult at times but it becomes a part of your life, listening and talking to people.
“I know my dad would be looking down at me feeling proud, and that’s what makes it all so worthwhile.
“I really have to thank the people for trusting me. I feel they’ve appreciated everything I’ve done for them, and I owe it to them that I’ve been able to manage so long.”
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