‘City status bid must not airbrush us out’
6:17am Tuesday 9th February 2010 in News
BOLTON has been accused of trying to “airbrush” away the history of its surrounding communities in its bid to become a city.
People living in the borough’s towns and villages say they fear they will lose their standing in the area if the town is granted the prestigious status.
Westhoughton councillor Cllr David Wilkinson said he would back the bid for city status when a motion is put before the full council next month.
But he warned town hall chiefs not to forget about communities such as Westhoughton, Blackrod and Horwich which make up a large section of the borough.
He said: “There is more than just Bolton itself which makes up this borough and the big wigs at the Town Hall should remember that.
“Places such as Westhoughton, Blackrod, Horwich and the like all have histories as rich as Bolton but it is thought that is being airbrushed away because there has been no mention of them.
“Westhoughton makes up a lot of the landmass of the borough and all we want is an attitude that reflects that instead of everything being Bolton-centric.”
Last week, The Bolton News revealed that Bolton Council was to bid for city status, which will be granted to an English town as part of the celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
But Cllr Wilkinson’s Liberal Democrat colleague Cllr Margaret Rothwell, who represents Kearsley, said she would prefer to be known as a market town.
She said: “Bolton is a market town. When you arrive in Manchester, you know you are in a city. It is not the same feeling when you arrive in Bolton.
“We have an excellent market and I think it is nice to be referred to as a market town. I have to say I am not overly enthusiastic about the bid for city status.”
A council spokesman said the granting of city status would benefit the whole borough.
She added: “The final details of how the bidding process will work will come out later in the year, but rest assured we will be selling the positive attributes of the whole of Bolton, which includes all of our districts.”
The council will discuss the bid at its meeting on Wednesday, March 3.
andrew.greaves@ theboltonnews.co.uk
