THE Conservative candidate in the Greater Manchester mayoral race has vowed to make the most of Bolton’s “untapped potential”.

Sean Anstee launched his manifesto to become the city-region’s first elected mayor last week and believes that his experience as leader of Trafford Council makes him the ideal choice for the role.

Labour’s Andy Burnham is the odds-on favourite to win the election on May 4, but Mr Anstee is confident that he has the strongest credentials of the seven candidates

He said: “I have spent my life in Greater Manchester and the last nine years in politics, helping us get us to the point where we can say that we know how to make decisions ourselves.

“Westminster politics has obviously failed people here and we have a proven track record here on issues that matter.

“There is so much untapped potential here, so with a bit of leadership and vision I think something very special could happen in Bolton.

“This is our chance to do something very different. The people of Bolton may feel let down by the Labour Party and this is a chance to elect someone who is exceptionally passionate about this part of the world and has the experience of working for Greater Manchester.”

Mr Anstee spoke to members of the HEART campaign group in Westhoughton on Thursday about his views on the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, the controversial blueprint which outlines thousands of new homes for Bolton by 2035.

The Tory candidate, who has promised to crack down on land banking and organise a £1 billion fund to start building on brownfield sites, has accused some of his opponents of playing “party political games” with the issue.

He said: “The choice people have to make in May is whether you want someone like me who is consistent in their view and will listen to people, or candidates who are simply manoeuvring to position themselves to gain votes. I think this is too important for that.

“We are talking about the future prosperity of Bolton and of Greater Manchester.

“Having a plan is the single best way of giving more protection to our green spaces.

“It is disastrous for communities when you can’t control where development happens. Other candidates are playing some very serious party political games with the spatial framework and aren’t being honest with people.”

Mr Anstee’s manifesto outlines proposals to extend the Metrolink service to areas if Greater Manchester that currently miss out on its benefits, potentially including Bolton.

He added: “I am very clear that every part of Greater Manchester needs to feel that it is benefitting from the investment in transport that we are making.

“If you include into that things like smart-ticketing and re-regulating the bus services, then I think we could so something special and create a system that actually works and everybody feels comfortable using.”

His other policies include setting up a “police time bank” to allow communities to tell local policing teams which issues demand their time and resources.

Mr Anstee also wants to establish a “year of service” in which young people will volunteer in their communities and, in the process, improve their skills and employability prospects.