A COUNCILLOR has pledged to do all of his Christmas shopping in Darlington – and called on his colleagues to do the same.

Labour councillor Chris McEwan told a meeting of Darlington Borough Council that he would be buying all of his festive treats from the town centre.

Encouraging other councillors to follow in his footsteps, the cabinet member for economy and regeneration said: “I would encourage all of us to do all or most of our shopping in Darlington town centre.

“I’ve given that commitment as it’s a good place to shop and we should not lose sight of that.”

He added: “We need to lead by example and get out there and do our Christmas shopping in the town – totally unprompted, I’ve given that commitment.”

At the same meeting – held last Thursday (December 4) – councillor Heather Scott said television adverts being screened over the festive season were working to encourage shoppers to the town.

She said: “The Christmas advert for Darlington that’s currently being shown on TV is absolutely fantastic – if anything can attract people to Darlington, that can.”