THE CHIEF of the borough’s newest political party believes the group is being unfairly censored in its bid to get its message across.

Peter Flitcroft, leader of Farnworth and Kearsley First, has accused Bolton Council of ‘double standards’ after it refused the party permission to erect a gazebo for campaigning purposes.

He says the proposed spot, in Brackley Street, Farnworth, near Asda, has previously been used by other political parties.

Mr Flitcroft said: “We are a fledgling party and want to get our name about but we feel we are being stymied at every opportunity. We’re not sure if it’s political or something more procedural, but our suspicion is it is political.”

He continued: “We have a plan and strategy in place leading up to the elections in May and one of the bigger parts of that is making ourselves visible to the public and this will impede us from doing that.”

Mr Flitcroft also branded the decision ‘petty’. He added: “Do they consider us to be so much of a threat that they want to keep us silent and don’t want us to launch ourselves into the political arena?

“We’re a thorn in their sides at the moment.”

A Bolton Council spokesman said: “We have only ever granted consent to use the space for commercial purposes and occasional use by charities, and not for political parties.”