CLLR Cliff Morris and his Labour colleagues never miss a trick in their attempts to catch votes to remain in power, whether or not it is for the benefit of the town.

As election time approached some time ago, we had the reintroduction of the weekly grey bin collections at additional cost to the taxpayer to pacify a small number of the public who could not or would not manage the disposal of their refuse responsibly.

Now we have the announcement about tributes to those killed in road accidents. When this issue was first raised, we were given the impression that the permanent memorial was an alternative to roadside tributes.

It now appears that we are to have both, despite the fact that those who wanted roadside tributes stated that they did not want a permanent memorial elsewhere.

The memorial has been created at the expense of taxpayers. Its location in Queens Park serves no useful purpose — who will go to see it? It will no doubt soon be trashed and have to be maintained at taxpayers’ expense.

The length of time roadside tributes have been there will have to be monitored. They will be removed after 30 days in consultation with police family liaison officers who ought to have enough to do already without this extra responsibility.

Teddy bears and other paraphernalia will have to be transported to Overdale Crematorium, where staff will have to deal with storage and collection arrangements.

All this unnecessary work will have to be carried out by Environmental Services staff who ought to have enough to do repairing roads, renewing white and yellow road markings and cleaning numerous dirty road signs to improve road safety.

John Stott and others campaigning about the cuts in front line services and jobs who support Labour should take note.

Strangely enough, the relatives demand road safety improvements at the places where their loved ones are killed and yet they are the very people who are putting the tributes at the roadside which take drivers’ eyes off the road to cause further accidents. If they care about road safety, they should have a memorial in a proper place such as the cemetery, the garden of remembrance at the crematorium or their gardens.

In addition, we are to have permanent adverts on lampposts throughout the town adding to the numerous existing signs which distract drivers.

All this demonstrates that the Labour Council is more concerned about remaining in power than with road safety or the appearance of the town.

R Swindells Bolton