COUNCILLORS Harkin and Spencer, through your columns, write to praise and claim credit for the job they do for housing in Bolton. Councillor Harkin even invites me to respond, and this I am happy to do.

The Government recently allocated Bolton Council £15m. for housing, and both councillors claim this is a tribute to their stewardship. I must point out to your readers that this is not a grant but permission to borrow £15m. so council house rent-payers and council taxpayers will have to pay the annual interest charges.

I would also remind them of just a few other points:

1. The £15m. is still 20pc less than the Director of Finance had anticipated Bolton would be allocated for 2000-2001.

2. As long ago as 1985 a previous chairman of Housing claimed that Bolton needed to borrow £35m. to stand still. In other words the Labour Government has done no favours to Bolton tenants.

Despite claims that Bolton Housing has done well under Labour control, rent arrears of £2.5m. are no less now than last year, despite Councillor Harkin presiding over yet another council committee and introducing costly new systems. Tenants who pay their rent are still suffering a higher rent and poorer service as a result.

Instead of claiming how well Bolton Housing is doing, perhaps Councillors Harkin and Spencer would like to explain it to such as the elderly tenant left without central heating for 10 days just before Christmas, as a result of the Council's failure, or indeed to all tenants who will shortly face a rent increase nearly twice the rate of inflation, because the Government has just taken back over £1m. in subsidy from Bolton Council tenants. Yet another Labour stealth tax!

In conclusion, Councillors Harkin and Spencer should perhaps remember that self praise is no recommendation.

Cllr John Walsh,

Deputy Leader,

Conservative Group,

Bolton MBC.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.