UNDER-fire council leader Cliff Morris will defiantly defend a decision to grant Asons solicitors £300,000 in funding at tonight’s much-anticipated town hall meeting.

Cllr Morris is facing calls to resign his position from both opposition councillors inside the chamber and from members of the public who are expected to gather in protest outside the town hall before the meeting.

Many people have expressed anger since it was revealed that the council privately agreed to provide Asons with the grant to help the firm with a move to new premises in Churchgate.

At tonight’s meeting, he will tell a packed council chamber why he feels it was correct for the authority to ‘invest’ the money in the town centre firm and will address those who have been critical of him in the press and on social media.

Council accused of running 'dictatorship' after secretly approving £300,000 grant to town centre law firm

Cllr Morris is expected to say: “People in Bolton deserve the facts instead of political arguments, and I’m more than happy to put those facts in front of you this evening because they tell a very different story to the one that some people are trying to suggest….

“Every investment has risks – but the decision was based on an assessment of how the Council’s risk could be managed, including the fact that the investment of £300,000 will be more than repaid by business rates income of half a million pounds over the five years during that period, we can reclaim the investment on a sliding scale….

“Our Town Centre Strategy specifically refers to the benefit of attracting businesses who will invest in high quality office space, which will attract other occupiers in the future. Don’t forget that this investment has led to a private company spending £1.5 million of their money on bringing an office block up to a much higher standard than before….

He will add: “A number of local businesses have commented on the fact that they haven’t asked for help from the Council. I’m delighted that they have managed to prosper and continue to be a valuable part of the Bolton economy, without needing further support from us. However, any business is able to approach us if they decide to do so. We want to make sure that Bolton is open for business, and if we are able to assist, we will.”

The meeting will start at 7pm.