A COMMUNITY campaigner has been expelled from the Labour Party for supporting independent candidates in Horwich.

Craig Rotheram has had his Labour membership revoked because of his involvement with Horwich First, which party figures say is ‘incompatible’ with their policies.

He helped set up the community group three years ago — around the same time that he became a Labour Party member — in a bid to get a ‘fairer deal’ for Horwich, campaigning on issues such as the Loco Works development.

In May, 2015 two independent candidates standing under the Horwich First banner, Marie Brady and Steven Chadwick, were elected to Horwich Town Council in 2015.

Mr Rotheram is not contesting his expulsion.

He said: “I have always been a Labour supporter and I still am, but I can’t support Labour in Bolton.

“As Horwich First, we will actively support any councillor who puts the interests of Horwich first and foremost.

“I have supported things that Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors have done.

“But we have witnessed time and again a serious lack of consultation over the Loco Works and the new Leisure Centre.

“As a member of Horwich First Community Group we have legitimately voiced these concerns and challenged both Bolton Council and our local Labour ward councillors.

“We have nearly 4,000 followers on Horwich First, this level of instant interaction with our followers is now allowing our community to be more informed in what is or isn’t being done in their community.

“We will continue to challenge or even support Bolton Council, but sadly they have shown scant regard for our community and our hope is that will community groups like ours they may start to consider more collaboration with the community they serve.”

Labour councillor Kevin McKeon said that Mr Rotheram has displayed a ‘negative’ attitude to the party.

He said: “Craig has done many useful things for Horwich and that has been commendable.

“However, I think he does have a negative attitude towards Labour in Bolton and, to a lesser extent, on Horwich Town Council. Through Horwich First, he has promoted candidates in both borough and town council elections that have stood against Labour. It was something of a surprise to me to find out that he was a member of the Labour Party.

“I also find it disappointing that he does not seem to appreciate the efforts that local councillors put into supporting the people of Horwich.

“It is not the case that Bolton Council ignores the Horwich community.

“The new leisure centre being built, the new Chorley New Road school, the refurbishment of the Brazley Centre, the fact that we have a major leisure and retail centre on our doorstep — all these give strong indications that Bolton Council treats Horwich as fairly as any other community in the borough.”