Town councils do a great job in providing community events and other benefits but they are unfair on the residents of Bolton

I know Ryan and he is a genuine, caring and enthusiastic person but like other town councillors he enjoys spending other people’s money. When he says the average household in Westhoughton pays just £15.58 extra on top of their normal council tax he is correct but misses the point that some people pay £31 extra and in Blackrod a whopping £58 more.

Westhoughton rakes in over £130,000 through the precept and the area forums have an additional £70,000 making £200,000 for investment in the town. Compare this with the 15 other wards in Bolton where there is no town council and a much smaller area forum budget where their disposable budget can be as little as £29,000. Can this be fair? I think not.

A glance at the budgets and accounts also reveals that the tax payers across Bolton are subsidising the town councils. There seems to be no charge from Bolton council for example for the maintenance of the buildings, the collection and handling of the council tax precept or for the provision for and collection of bad debts.

As I have said before town councils do a great job in providing community events and other benefits but they are unfair on the residents of Bolton and they do little that an area forum could not do. Westhoughton, Horwich and Blackrod are great places but are they really more deserving than everywhere else in the borough? Perhaps we should have a referendum to see if people wish to continue with town councils?

Councillor Bob Allen

Heaton & Lostock Ward