In the last of our constituency profiles ahead of the General Election, we look at the issues being raised by candidates in the marginal seat of Bolton West.

AT EVERY election, Bolton West is held up as a key battleground when it comes to deciding who will form the next government — and this year is no different.

A win for the Tories will signal that Theresa May is on course for the increased majority in Parliament that she craves, but if Julie Hilling can win back the seat she lost in 2015 it would be a major boost for Jeremy Corbyn.

Chris Green stole the seat for the Conservatives two years ago by 801 votes, a slim margin but one greater than many had predicted.

He says that one of the key tasks faced by whoever represents residents of Bolton West over the next five years will be to oppose some of the massive new housing developments planned for the area.

Mr Green said: “People are furious with the decisions of Bolton Council to open areas like the Hulton Estate and Chequerbent Roundabout to big developments and the consistent failure to match house-building with infrastructure.

“A big worry that people have is that if they are selling off the green spaces now, there is no reason to believe that they won’t sell off even more in the future.”

The four candidates standing in the seat on June 8 have all been in touch with the Hulton Estate Area Residents Together (HEART) group, which is fighting plans to build a Ryder Cup-standard golf course and a massive new housing estate near their homes.

Ms Hilling said that a Labour government would give local authorities more power to protect the green belt.

She added that the right infrastructure had to be delivered in areas like Westhoughton and Horwich — such as that promised for the old Loco Works site — to serve new homes and support growing businesses.

Rebecca Forrest, the Lib Dem candidate, said: “We need a lot more housing than we have now, there is a serious shortage.

“We have to make the best use of brownfield sites that are empty at the moment and stop land banking – local councils need the power to come in and take over those sites.

“Building on, for example, the Hulton Estate will put a huge burden on our existing infrastructure.”

UKIP’s Martin Tighe — an active community campaigner in Westhoughton — says that he is keen to keep the focus of the election on local issues, but believes nationals security has gone to the top of the agenda since the terror attack in Manchester.

He said: “I don’t think this election will be decided on local issues, all of the parties have run national-focused campaigns. But I am trying to keep things local.

“Security will be a major issue, particularly after the events in Manchester last week. It worries me very much that we are seeing the army deployed on our streets – that is a sign that you are on the way to a civil war.”

Mr Green added: “The question is who will be a stronger leader and able to look after Britain’s interests best. This is where Theresa May has the experience and the ability compared to Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party as a whole.”

Ms Hilling, who admits she has a “mountain to climb” to win back the seat, says that voters she has spoken to fear the impact of cuts to public services.

She said: “People are concerned about cuts to their NHS, cuts to education, and the more recent worry is for pensioners and people with ageing parents because of the proposed cuts to social care.

“In areas like Bolton West we have a lot of professionals who are desperate to get rid of this government because their public services are being destroyed.

“People in Bolton West often feel like they are marginalised by both Bolton Council and Wigan Council.

“We need to make sure we get our fair share and that our people are well represented.”

Ms Forrest, who is a secondary school science teacher, is backing her party’s plans for added investment in public services — which include putting an extra penny on income tax to fund improved health and social care.

She added: “We need to make sure that public sector workers are getting a fair pay rise. There has been a one per cent rise in place for so long that it has effectively been a pay cut in real terms.

“We are pledging extra funding for our schools, but the lack of transparency in terms of what the Tories plans are is shocking.”