DOZENS of disillusioned residents signalled they were ready to take up the fight to get a fair deal for their towns at a society’s inaugural meeting.

More than 70 people from Farnworth, Kearsley and Harper Green packed out the hall at Trinity Church, in Farnworth, for the inaugural meeting of Farnworth and Kearsley First.

The meeting was called by the society’s interim secretary, Paul Heslop, in a bid to address what many see as the neglect and lack of investment in their towns.

The ultimate aim of the society is to create a political party that can win seats on Bolton Council – and potentially break away from the borough all together.

And there was a unanimous show of hands when Mr Heslop asked how many people were interested in taking on the ‘mainstream political parties’ that dominate Bolton Council.

Mr Heslop said that when it came to spending the council’s money there was ‘one rule for Bolton and another for Farnworth and Kearsley’.

He told the meeting: “I have had councillors tell me personally in the Bolton-centric approach – that success will ‘emanate from the centre’, we don’t believe that when we look at our towns now.

“If they’re doing another series of Shameless they may as well do it on the St Modwen’s site – that’s what it looks like now.”

And later he made a rallying cry for people to get involved.

“Here is the challenge,” he said. “We want to take things into our own hands and as individuals have we got the will to take it forward.”

Mr Heslop appealed to people to volunteer their talents whether as potential councillors, committee members and researchers ahead of the group’s next meeting in June.

Councillor Asif Ibrahim, ward councillor for Farnworth, was at the meeting to listen to what residents had to say.

Speaking after the meeting had closed, he said: “I understand people’s concerns, they are long-standing concerns that people have. They’re not necessarily accurate in their entirety, but I understand where the frustrations stem from and wherever possible I will try to address them.”

Retired teacher Vic Gethin and Farnworth and Kearsley First supporter Gabriella Magari also spoke at the meeting.