PRIME minister David Cameron today said Bolton held the key to the outcome of the general election.

On a visit to The Bolton News he told voters: "The power is in your hands."

Mr Cameron was in town to back Chris Green — the Tory candidate in the fight for Bolton West.

The Prime Minister said: “I think places like Bolton will be absolutely key to the outcome of the election.

“The coalition government has done a good job of turning the economy around and getting the country back to work.

"But I think people would now welcome the decisiveness and the accountability of a Conservative majority government because then you know that exactly what is in the manifesto goes into the programme for government.

“People like Chris Green are key to delivering that majority."

Asked if his party could win a clear majority without taking Bolton West, Mr cameron said: "Yes — but it’s very difficult to win a majority unless you win in places like Bolton.

"They are absolutely key to the future of the country and I want people to feel like they have got the power in their hands — it is their votes that could make the difference.”

Labour’s candidate for Bolton West, Julie Hilling, who was voted into the seat in 2010, has often spoken of the struggles people in the region have gone through under the coalition government, including issues surrounding food poverty, zero hours contracts and falling living standards.

But Mr Cameron said his government had pledged to increase the minimum wage and take three million of the lowest paid people out of income tax by raising the threshold.

He added: “Zero hours contracts are only two out of every 100 jobs in our country and in fact the vast majority of the jobs created have been for British citizens and for people wanting to work full-time.

“The North West is now growing faster than the south of England, the economic plan is working.

“Don’t put it at risk with a government that will be anti-business, anti-enterprise and that will put up taxes — the worst thing you can do for the low-paid is give up on the programme that is turning the country around.”

Ms Hilling said the Prime Minister should “spend a lot more time in Bolton West” to get an accurate picture of the issues affecting people.

She said: “People here are actually £1,600 worse off under this government and there are far too many people struggling to pay their basic bills.

"There are many who are working two or three jobs but still can’t make ends meet.

“Britain can’t succeed unless working people succeed and this government has shown that it is just on the side of the rich.”

Mr Cameron was quizzed on his plans for the NHS after Labour claimed that hundreds fewer GP surgeries are now offering extended opening hours compared with in 2009.

He said: “The NHS is certainly safe in our hands and we have increased the money going into the NHS every year — as a result here in the North West there are more than 700 more doctors, 600 more nurses and more than 2,000 more clinically trained staff.

“I know it’s been difficult with accident and emergency in recent months, because of the pressures on the NHS but Bolton has achieved figures of 93 per cent of people coming to A and E and getting seen within four hours.

“The biggest threat to the NHS is an economy that doesn’t work and Bolton West is going to be one of the seats that will determine the outcome."