As voters prepare to go to the polls next Thursday, The Bolton News is assessing the key issues at stake in the town’s three constituencies. Today we look at Bolton North East.

JUST a few hours after MPs voted to approve a snap election, Bolton North East was thrust into the national spotlight.

From a quaint parish hall in Egerton, the Prime Minister launched her campaign and signalled the Conservatives’ clear intent to take back the seat held by Labour’s Sir David Crausby for 20 years.

Sir David has been unconcerned by the attention of “London politicians” and is determined to fight the election on local issues.

He added: “In 2015, David Cameron came here five times and my majority went up. If he had come six times, it would have gone up even more. I am not worried about London politicians coming up here, this is a northern seat with northern problems and that is what I am fighting on.”

However, challenger James Daly — getting his second crack at the seat after Abi Kay, the Tories’ original candidate, suddenly pulled out of the race — says that voters “realise it is time for change”.

The future of the area’s transport links remains a hot topic of debate in Bolton North East, where constituents have complained for years of overcrowded trains and daily traffic jams.

Mr Daly says he wants to see a direct rail link from Bolton to London, as well as more regular services to Manchester.

He said: “Railways is a hugely important issue. There are proposals to open more platforms in Manchester, which could have a great impact in terms of opening up more capacity for trains from Bolton.

“But I believe a direct link from Bolton to London is absolutely crucial.”

Sir David has been a long-term campaigner for improved rail services and says that the government has broken too many promises.

He added: “The train services are not good enough and the road network is inadequate to support more housing.

“At the last election, David Cameron came to Bolton and announced that there would be improvements – he broke his word on that. I am determined to make sure that they do happen.”

UKIP’s Harry Lamb says that voters are “fed up” with the lack of progress.

The 75-year-old said: “David Crausby has been asking questions in Parliament for years about our train services, but nothing seems to have happened. The road system is not fit for purpose – we have two major roads out of the north of Bolton that get jammed every single rush hour.”

Mr Lamb has also vowed to secure more funding for deprived areas in wards such as Astley Bridge, which he says do not get the same attention as poorer areas elsewhere in Bolton.

Liberal Democrat Warren Fox harbours serious hopes of causing an upset on June 8, after two years of hard work campaigning.

He says he is “vehemently passionate” about reversing Bolton’s decline, and added: “The first thing I would do is to fight for more investment in our NHS and our schools. We need to stop the cuts that will hit people hard in Bolton. Wards like Breightment, Crompton, and Halliwell are really deprived, but nothing has changed for them in years. This is a chance for them to vote for genuine change.”

Controversy over the loss of green space — following approval for developments such as the extension of the Last Drop Village and the imminent re-writing of the much-maligned Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) — is also high on every candidate’s agenda.

The Green Party’s Liz Spencer said: “This is a very diverse constituency, but everyone is worried about housing. Some people worry because of the loss of green belt, some because of the problems with transport, and some because they know their children will not be able to afford a house when they grow up.”

Mr Fox added that he is “very vocal” in his opposition to the GMSF and to fracking in the area.

On Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s plans for a radical reshaping of the GMSF, Mr Daly said: “There needs to be a re-evaluation. You can’t have a document taking all this land out of the green belt without reference to infrastructure issues. The whole plan has to be sustainable.”

Sir David has previously criticised the “tremendously confusing” plans, after it was suggested that 3,000 homes could be built in the north of Bolton without identifying specific sites.