IT’S very easy for local people to criticise Bolton Council for the various cuts they’ve made in the last few years. I know it’s easy because I’ve often been critical, too.

There’s also no doubt that many people on hearing about the latest plan to spend up to £6.5 million renovating the Albert Halls became angry once more about spending, especially when so many front-line services have been cut.

We may, though, just have to acknowledge a couple of things here. All local councils are being forced to save vast sums by Government edict. They’re in a real “cutting babies in half” situation, so wherever they slash the cash they can’t do right for doing wrong.

Now that doesn’t mean that every plan they’ve come up with locally is necessarily right: we’re all entitled to our opinions on where the pounds should be saved. But, although the money being planned for the Albert Halls’ work is huge, there are good arguments for spending it.

Put to one side the fact that it’s apparently coming out of capital funding -  money put to one side for major projects like building or improving roads, schools or buildings - or that the money is partly being raised by selling-off council services.

The private sector involved in both The Market Place and Crompton Place are both currently planning massive investments in improving leisure services with restaurants and cinemas.

These two schemes alone should help to bring people back into Bolton town centre – something that most residents would argue is well overdue. The Bolton News has long included critical comments from despairing readers concerned about empty shops and rundown central areas.

Now, finally, we have genuine and definite commercial investment that vastly improves the town centre leisure offer. So it seems logical that Bolton Council would want to improve its own central leisure facility at the Albert Halls to both enhance and reflect these two large schemes.

Realistically, what would be the alternative? We let the Albert Halls fall so far behind the necessary standards to compete commercially that the venue no longer becomes viable and closes? The addition of an upmarket restaurant and café also enhances this brave project.

Politics apart, if our local council did nothing to improve this building and keep up with the burgeoning plans around it, there’s no doubt we would be even more vocal in our criticisms.