CONFIDENCE is the key to Bolton surviving the economic crisis.

That is the view of Bolton Council chief executive Sean Harriss, the man charged with steering the borough though the rough seas of recession.

Nationally the picture may be one of daily doom but locally Mr Harriss — who joined the authority in April, 2007 — says there are reasons to be positive.

He said: “I think if you look at the local picture, there are some sectors which are continuing to grow. We are being told by our partners at Jobcentre Plus that there is still the same number of jobs out there but there are more people joining the queue.

“Whilst we cannot ignore the challenges of this economic slowdown, we cannot let them overwhelm us. We have to maintain the confidence in Bolton and show the kind of leadership that people look to the council for.

“We are continuing to work with our partners to minimise the effect the economic slowdown has on local people and I feel we are in the best position to deal with it.”

Bolton Council is working with developers to ensure the borough’s major projects, such as Church Wharf, Merchant’s Quarter and the Bolton Innovation Zone, are still progressing.

Mr Harriss added: “We know there is going to be some slippage in terms of the timescale but we are committed to working with our development partners to ensure that the schemes stay on track and do still happen.”

His view is shared by his director of regeneration Keith Davies, who believes Bolton’s past experiences in dealing with unemployment and the economy puts them in the best position to deal with the current climate. He said: “We have the resources in place and that means we can adapt to the needs of local people.”

Mr Davies also believes that the council’s long-standing relationship with major developers means they can adjust any development work to the benefit of the borough.

He said: “I think we need to be flexible and fleet-footed because once the economic slump ends we have to be in a position to react. If you take Church Wharf you will see that 12 to 18 months ago the plan was for 600 apartments. Now we realise that there is a greater need for family housing so we have worked with the developers to adjust the scheme.

“We have to keep the momentum going and ensure that young people in this town retain the aspiration and the ambition because things are still happening. It is just a bit slower than we anticipated.”