AT the full meeting of Bolton Council on Wednesday, it was revealed to the absolute shock of council members, that the appointed Bolton Conservative Party group representative to the Bolton Be Safe Partnership Board had not attended a meeting of the Partnership for the past two years and no apologies had been given.

The Be Safe Partnership is a very important organisation in our town made up of Greater Manchester Police, the Probation Service, the Primary Care Trust, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, Bolton Council officers, councillors and other organisations.

The partnership aims to reduce house burglary, vehicle crime, robbery, violent crime, domestic violence, the use of class-A drugs, anti-social behaviour, juvenile nuisance, criminal damage, hate incidents and environmental crime such as graffiti, littering and fly-tipping.

When the Conservative group leader, Cllr David Greenhalgh, was given the opportunity to reply to a question from myself in a debate when asked who his group’s representative actually was, he failed to name the councillor so I have to presume that he did not actually know the identity of his own group representative.

More worrying, however, is that Cllr Greenhalgh had no idea that his group representative had not even attended a Partnership meeting for two years.

I therefore have to ask the question, what on earth Cllr Greenhalgh actually does as the Conservative group leader?

Does he not ask his spokesmen and group representatives to report back to him?

Does he not take a record or monitor his members attendance at important meetings and why is it specifically that he did not know that his group representative had not attended the Be Safe Partnership for two years?

Cllr Greenhalgh admitted during the council meeting that it was a disgrace that his group representative had not attended the Be Safe meetings and that the councillor concerned would be replaced.

However, I have to go one step further and I now call on Cllr Greenhalgh himself to resign as Conservative group leader.

He has to take the ultimate responsibility for his group representative not attending the meetings.

It is Cllr Greenhalgh who has not been doing his job as Conservative group leader properly or effectively, not knowing what is occurring.

It really is unbelievable. He has failed in his duty as Conservative group leader to ensure that his representative attended the Be Safe meetings and he has failed the town by not taking the aims of the Be Safe Partnership seriously.

Cllr Greenhalgh therefore has to go because of these shocking failings in his leadership and the complete lack of commitment to the Be Safe Partnership on his watch.

He should tender his resignation immediately.

Cllr Richard Silvester

Horwich North East Ward