WITH the general election just four months away, The Bolton News is running a series of features with candidates vying for your vote. Here, political reporter Elaine O'Flynn speaks to Lib Dem candidate for Bolton North East Steve Rock.

A TOWN councillor is looking to trade his seat in Horwich Town Council for a pass to the corridors of Westminster this May.

Cllr Steve Rock is standing for the Liberal Democrats in Bolton North East, against incumbent Labour MP David Crausby.

The veteran politician and former Mayor of Horwich has been a member of the Liberal Democrats for more than 20 years, after being asked to join by Horwich councillor Barbara Ronson.

"I had known Barbara when she got elected, and one day she said to me, 'Why don't you join us?'", the 55-year-old from Horwich said.

"I realised the party believed in the same things that I did, and wanted to help people. The local party especially is about helping people and going the extra mile for your community, and I really bought into that philosophy."

In 2003 Cllr Rock stood for Horwich Town Council, and quickly rose up the ranks, eventually becoming leader when the Liberal Democrats took control.

He also became a Bolton borough councillor in 2004, representing the authority for the police, fire and transport authorities.

It is this experience of political life, Cllr Rock says, encouraged him to think he could be an MP - although he admits he 'amazed' himself when he passed the Lib Dems interviews to become a prospective Parliamentary candidate.

But with political commentators predicting this General Election will be disastrous for his party, Cllr Rock says he is more optimistic.

He said: "I don't think it will be a wipeout, but I do think we will suffer.

"Anything that has been good about the coalition the Tories have taken the credit, and anything bad the Lib Dems have received the blame."

Looking over the past five years where Liberal Democrats have occupied some of the top Government positions, Cllr Rock said he believes the achievements of the party haven't fully been recognised.

He said: "We have stopped the bedroom tax being too extreme.

"For the bedroom tax, I don't agree with it but I can see what we are trying to do with some of it.

"There are a lot of houses that have got one occupant and three bedrooms and a lot of families that have nowhere to live.

"But there isn't the one-bedroom properties available for people to move into, so we need to make sure that there are more one-bedroom properties out there.

"That is reasonable, but people have been penalised."

After he was unemployed for a spell after losing his council seat - and working on the other side to help people with their CVs and interview skills - Cllr Rock says he has first-hand experience of what support is needed to help get people back into employment.

"You have quite a lot of people coming in with no confidence at all", he said.

"If we look at Germany, they don't look at what you can't do but what you can do."

He also supports the Government's efforts to simplify the benefits system through 'universal credit' - which combines all of the benefits into one payment, but whose implementation has been fraught with difficulties.

The foreign aid budget should be redirected back in the UK, he adds, to stop the rising levels of poverty.

Cllr Rock said: "I'm disgusted that there has to be food banks in this century.

"We are quite a wealthy country - and if you look at the amount we send abroad while we have food banks, it isn't right.

"I think while this country is in the situation it is, we should look at using our foreign aid budget on the poorest, so there isn't people living on the streets."

In addition, taxes should go up so that there is more money for the NHS, he argues, while locally there needs to be more funding put towards keeping the streets clean.

When asked his views on Europe, Cllr Rock said: "I have had doubts about Europe, but I don't think we can live without it now.

"I would vote to stay in the Union. We are a small country and it is crazy to think we can stand on our own against the rest of the world.

"We get more out of Europe than we put in."

Caps on immigration, he believes, would cause serious problems for the health service which depends on foreign workers.

Cllr Rock acknowledges he has an outside chance of being elected, but says he wants to get Bolton North East residents a chance to vote for the Lib Dems.

"Labour have all three seats in Bolton, but I want to give them a run for their money", he said.

"Otherwise they will think they have a God-given right to be here.

"I have got to have a go. I'm going to fight the election and try to win it... but you have to be realistic."

The Bolton News series with election candidates will return in February with the spotlight falling on Bolton South East