AN open letter to MPs Yasmin Qureshi, David Crausby and Chris Green.

I don't know if you are aware but Bolton is amongst the most deprived towns in the country. In Harper Green we have a child poverty rate of 37%. In Great Lever it's 39%, and in council leader Cliff Morris' patch of Halliwell over 42%.

Despite this fact it seems you have ignored the calls of your electorate to oppose the Tory welfare cuts that seek to push even more families into poverty. Thousands of working families across Bolton are going to find themselves £1,350 on average worse off because of these cuts. Thousands of young people will struggle to find housing, thousands of children will be pushed further into poverty.

All three of you had one job — oppose the plans as your electorate demands. But you didn't.

Chris Green you voted in favour. You decided that keeping more money in your pocket was more important than looking after the thousands of families struggling to make ends meet in Westhoughton and Horwich, Blackrod and Atherton.

Yasmin Qureshi you abstained and decided that Harper Green could suffer more degradation and poverty. That Farnworth wasn't worth fighting for and that the people of Deane and Daubhill didn't deserve your attention.

And David Crausby the most disappointment lies with you. You have always seemed the most attentive of our three MPs. You could have stepped in to prevent more horror in Halliwell, shown that you care about families in Crompton, ensured a better deal for Breightmet. But you too decided to step aside and do nothing to prevent the Tories from picking apart the welfare state.

Just 21% of the Labour party bothered to stand up against poverty compared to 100% of Liberal Democrat MPs. Just 21% decided that their constituents were worth listening to when it came to welfare cuts compared to 100% of Liberal Democrat MPs. The bill was passed with a 184 majority. 184 Labour MPs abstained.

We know now once and for all which party is on the side of working families. Who stands up for young people and who cares about children. The party that spent five years preventing these cuts is now the only party objecting to them.

Shame on you.

Kev Walsh

Bolton Liberal Democrats

Harper Green