IT'S that time of year again when junk mail starts to drop through our letter boxes like confetti, yes it's local election time, a time of false promises and self praise.

Let's look at what has happened in the Halliwell Ward over the past five years -- burglaries are up, muggings are up, vandalism is up, yob culture is up, litter is up and, of course, the community charge is well up. Policing is down and house prices are well down.

Life may be very rosy and prosperous in the wards where our "local" councillors actually live -- Westhoughton, Ladybridge and Smithills -- but life as we know it is very different.

This ward wasn't always like this, so what happened? Well, due to the lack of council properties, the powers-that-be, in their infinite wisdom, decided that they would pay landlords £300 per month to house anybody they deemed fit. The effects of this master stroke were to devalue the area and increase the number of these rented houses. A landlord snaps up a property for £12,000, slaps a lick of paint on it and has the money paid back to him from council funds in just over three years. I can't afford £300 per month for a mortgage and I work!

Now, it's not rocket science, but why doesn't the council limit the number of these properties, buy them, vet the tenants and save us all some money? Nobody knocks on your door and asks if you mind if some known bums are moved into your street. They have to live somewhere, but why here? And why so many?

Phone boxes in the area are now drug-dealing boxes, everybody knows it. Now the council may be kind enough to house these unfortunates, but not kind enough to give them money to feed their habit. This is done by robbing and mugging. The people who hang around these phone boxes are the same ones committing the crimes!

The litter problem could be solved with a little invention called the litter bin. Vandalism and yob culture could be solved with police on the beat and CCTV. What have my "Local" Labour Councillors done for me? Nothing, absolutely nothing.

Fed up Chorley Old Road resident

(Name and address supplied)