ON August 5, Bolton Against the Bedroom Tax held a rally in Victoria Square calling for action to end homelessness in Bolton.

This event was supported by faith groups, Unite community branch, Wake up Bolton, Bolton Diggers, the Green Party, Friends of the Earth, City of Sanctuary, Momentum, and many other groups.

We had Yasmin Qureshi MP and Ian Hodson, president of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, as speakers, as well as speakers from faith groups, Bolton Trades Council, Bolton Green Party, homeless charities and Bolton Against the Bedroom Tax.

We only saw one councillor at the event, but the consensus was quite clear we need action now from our local authority, to tackle the pressing issue.

In 2017 and in the world's fifth-richest economy, we should not have this situation of chronic homelessness.

There are about 40 to 50 rough sleepers in Bolton, and more than 3,000 people who have no permanent place of residence, nowhere they can call home.

We welcome the move by Bolton Council in securing a house that has been left empty since 1993, and to have it refurbished by local college students studying different trades.

They are working alongside skilled tradesmen in bringing the property safe and up to date, with one of the options being to use it to temporary house homeless people, it is estimated there could be as many as 4,700 empty properties in the borough.

Bolton against the Bedroom Tax would like to see many more of these properties being done up and brought back into use for the homeless.

We also recognise central Government could help councils like Bolton build more affordable social housing by allowing them to borrow money, and scrapping the right to buy scheme for council houses.

We welcome the motion being taken to next Wednesday full council meeting by Lib-Dem Cllr Andrew Martin, asking that the council supports taking more action to combat homelessness in Bolton, we call on the council to get behind this motion.

Bolton Against the bedroom tax, is therefore calling for a lobby of the council from 6.15 pm on Wednesday.

We call on all groups and members of the public, who are concerned about homelessness to attend this lobby.

Alan Johnson

Bolton Against the Bedroom Tax