MANY Bolton TUC members actively canvassed for the Labour Party in the recent General Election.

The local Labour council has presided over savage public expenditure cuts since 2010.

The fact that these resulted from Tory cuts to local authority budgets was often not appreciated by many voters, whose confidence in Labour has been seriously undermined.

Bolton TUC has opposed the Tory cuts for the past seven years, and it is a great pity that Bolton councillors have not even emphasised the fact that these cuts were Tory-driven.

So when cuts and closures occur to children's centres, libraries, psychological support services, building regulations services and all the other areas where the axe has fallen — some Bolton folk have blamed Labour.

Some people even suggested that Labour actually supported the draconian Tory austerity programme.

This week has seen the proposed closure of Harvey Nursery; this is the last nursery in Bolton to be entirely financed by the local authority, the rest having been privatised.

Contrast this with war-ravaged Bolton's nursery provision as far back as 1950, when every three year old child had full time state-provided nursery education, and you begin to see why people are desperate for change, while seeing only more and more cuts to vital services.

Bolton Labour Council must stand back and survey the political landscape!

Now that the socialist programme of Labour under Jeremy Corbyn has been embraced by so many across the country that Labour could soon be forming the next government, Bolton TUC calls upon Bolton Labour councillors to:

1 Call for an end to Tory austerity and draw up a plan to oppose it;

2 Prepare a needs-driven budget looking at the damage already done to the Bolton family. This will include taking back control of outsourced services that have driven down standards (often without any financial saving). This preparation will greatly help an incoming Labour government , and Bolton TUC will provide any support it can. Labour councils across the country are being urged to do the same;

3 Calls on individual councillors to sign a statement of support for Labour's socialist programme. Those who feel unable to do this should do the honourable thing and make way for those who are showing such enthusiasm for a socialist alternative to the crisis of capitalism — an alternative for the many, not the few!

Tom Hanley

Media Correspondent

Bolton TUC