IN the report about Cllr Morris keeping his role as Leader of the Council following the local election, he says that Labour got more than 40% of the vote. Why is he not quoting an accurate figure?

It is, of course, easy for him retain his seat in Halliwell and for Labour to remain in power when each ward is not given the same amount of Council funding and more is given to Labour areas.

He then claims that he would argue that they do have a mandate from the people of Bolton but they still need a vision going forward. They do not have a mandate. What it means is that over 50% of the people do not support Labour and what he and his colleagues are doing.

As far as needing a vision to go forward is concerned, one day he may take off his rose tinted glasses and realise that what Bolton needs is a major retail development like other towns. What Bolton does not need is something like the Newport Street and Market Place proposals which are just a re-arrangement of what we had before.

Beales department store has been struggling for some time and we are lucky that the owners have not closed it. The possibility of BHS closing is also bad news for Bolton. Some years ago, a large retail development was proposed for Central Street but nothing has been heard of it since then. That is the only way that the town centre can survive by bringing shoppers away from the Trafford Centre and Middlebrook. It is the big stores and shops which will bring people back into the town which will in turn help smaller individual shops to remain and others to open.

He goes on to say that he knew that he wanted to finish what he had started in Bolton. Does that mean that he wants to preside over the further decline of the town?

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