YET again is seems that the Conservatives are being painted as the bad guys, when in fact decisions to close services at Winifred Kettle Community Care Centre are down to Labour councillors.

I invited Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt MP, who was not here to support the Heywood and Middleton by-election as reported in the article, to the Westhoughton centre, to see and understand what is going on here in Bolton.

In April, the Bolton News carried the story about the changes at Winifred Kettle and was explicit that it was not about cuts as it was a straightforward re-organisation to improve services led by Bolton Council in conjunction with NHS Bolton CCG.

The character of the article was captured by Labour Councillor, Christopher Peacock, saying that: “This is brilliant news for Westhoughton.”

Following the Health Secretary’s visit, the concerns of the residents and staff at the centre were, quite rightly, reported in the article but the Bolton News now caricatures the changes as being all about Government cuts as though the changes were his decision that he now ought to reverse.

What has changed since then?

Nothing except when the changes are driven by Labour politicians it is all good and when it can be associated with Conservatives it is all bad.

Why didn’t the Bolton News quote the concerns of nurses and residents in April when Labour was claiming the changes were “brilliant”?

Chris Green.

Conservative prospective MP for Bolton West