COULD I be forgiven on leaving the Council Meeting last Wednesday for thinking ‘What is the bloody point?’

Councillor Hornby and myself asked four reasonably worded questions, two on environmental matters, one on planning and a final one on transparency in developing plans for the town centre.

Whilst a further question on police matters received a concise, factual and helpful answer from Councillor Burrows, the replies to the environmental questions seemed to concentrate more on pouring personal scorn on Councillor Hornby without even affording him the courtesy of addressing him as Councillor. How rude!

The final question to Councillor Morris was prompted by criticism from the Audit Commission of a lack of transparency in the activities of PSP Bolton who come up with the town centre and other regeneration plans.

The response from Councillor Morris was an all too familiar rant which mostly avoided answering any part of the question but instead concentrated on sneering at myself and Councillor Parkinson for our perhaps understandable and possibly forgiveable so called ‘lack of experience’.

Unfortunately, questioners are not given a right of reply in the Chamber, but should he want a public stand up row anytime, any place, then I am readily available.

He further insisted that he had ‘vision’ and that I lacked ‘wisdom’. Coming from him, I thought that was pretty rich.

‘Come back when you’ve got 18 seats’ he said.

Can I tell him that UKIP might not achieve 18 seats in the near future but the day when the combined opposition parties remove Labour’s majority on the Council will be sooner than he imagines.

That will be the day when the town can start to rediscover its pride and take its rightful place as one of the great boroughs in the land.

Councillor Paul Richardson

Chairman of UKIP Bolton Branch

Ripon Close

Little Lever.