THE Green Party is "crowdfunding" to pay for its election campaign — but says it still won’t stand a candidate in Bolton West.

The party is urging members of the public to donate towards funding two parliamentary candidates in Bolton North East and Bolton South East, and to support the campaigns of prospective councillors across all 20 wards.

But a member poll on whether to stand a candidate in the marginal seat of Bolton West — where there are just 92 votes between Labour and the Conservatives — was lost by one vote on Thursday.

Chris Green, the Conservative candidate for Bolton West, has accused the Greens of a "socialist stitch-up" behind the scenes, saying the Greens standing a candidate in Bolton West would split votes for the political left.

But Alan Johnson, party spokesman and the MP candidate for Bolton South East, denied there was any deal between Labour and the Greens.

He said: “There was a lengthy and heated debate among Bolton Green members on whether to stand a candidate, and the result was decided narrowly by one vote.

“The reason is to do with funding and the best use of our resources. We need at least £1,000 per constituency including a £500 deposit and cost of leaflets.

“The impact on the Labour vote was a concern for some party members.

“It wasn’t a concern for me but we are a democratic party, so even by one vote we took on the wishes of members of the party.”

In letters to The Bolton News, Conservative candidate for Bolton West Chris Green has urged the Green Party to crowdfund for a candidate to stand against him.

He has now challenged Julie Hilling, the Labour MP for Bolton West, to support his call to ask the Greens to field a candidate.

Mr Green said: “In a democracy it is the voice of the people that count.

“To me this looks like a socialist stitch-up between Labour and the Green Party, to deny a whole section of people who want to vote Green Party a chance to vote.

“Politics has a bad reputation, and people will be able to look at the votes in Bolton West, where it is so close between the Conservatives and Labour, and naturally conclude there is a behind-the-scenes stitch up.

“If the Green Party think the only people to gain from this are the Conservatives, they must be so comfortable with the local Labour party that they think that Greens and Labour are interchangeable, and how extremely left wing the local Labour party are.”

In a plea for donations, a Bolton Green Party release said, as a party without any "wealthy donors", any contribution however small, would make a difference.

It adds: “Having a Green candidate on the ballot paper is vital to democracy, giving the electorate the opportunity to vote for what they believe in.”

What do you think? Send your views to letters@theboltonnews.co.uk

To donate to the Green party campaign, visit http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/green-party-candidates-for-bolton.