I HAVE spent the last few weeks thinking a great deal about whether to vote in the general election and for which party or candidate.

There are many drawbacks about each of the main parties and when UKIP leader Mr Farage urged the likes of me to vote Tory, as here in Bolton he feels we are unlikely to get a UKIP MP elected, I went right off the idea of walking all the way to the voting station to vote for a party who does not want my vote.

Sometimes Nigel Farage is his own worst enemy about speaking before thinking through the consequences of what is said.

I find myself in a state of utter disbelief as I consider voting for a party nationally whose values and current and past leadership I strongly dislike — the Conservatives. This came about after receiving the latest election newspaper from former Bolton NE MP David Crausby and the local Labour Party. Mr Crausby writes to pass fulsome praise for his Labour colleagues on Bolton Council and lists the many redevelopment projects including "better facilities at the Albert Halls" and also "a university village for the town centre".

As former local Tory leader Cllr Walsh so ably wrote on a recent letters page, the attempt by Labour locally to secure an outcome whereby the Labour Executive sees its Labour dominated planning committee happily agree to the wrecking ball plans for the front of the town hall is an outrage. As Mr Crausby appears to fully back this plan, I shall not be able to give him my vote and, oddly enough, would not be too upset to see the Conservative MP candidate take over — unless David Crausby wishes to clarify his position and show more sensitivity for our building heritage.

The town hall is not the personal property of Bolton Labour Council and the sooner Labour leader Cliff Morris comes to realise this the better. Have you learned nothing whatsoever from the Market Hall fiasco? The democratic will of the people expressed through a large petition was blatantly ignored — typical Labour Party oppression in my view and how sad that the former Labour MP Mr Crausby seeks more of the same for our town centre.

Name and address supplied