POLITICAL parties are demanding answers over why Labour was able to set up a campaign stall in Farnworth when others were denied permission to use the site.

Bolton’s Liberal Democrats have joined calls for clarity from Farnworth and Kearsley First, whose members accused the council of ‘double standards’ when they were told they could not set up a gazebo in Brackley Street.

However, a picture uncovered on the Bolton Labour Twitter feed shows Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi with local councillors and activists at the spot in question during the General Election campaign in April.

Kevin Walsh, who will be the Lib Dem candidate for Harper Green at the next local elections, said: “Council rules should apply to everyone across the board.

“If the council did indeed grant the Labour Party and Yasmin Qureshi MP permission to use the space then it should cause everyone tremendous concern at the implications.

“Alternatively, the Labour Party may of course have ignored their own council’s rules and gone ahead with the stall anyway, showing a total disregard for proper processes and a lack of respect for procedure.

“We here at the Liberal Democrats are asking for a little clarity as we continue to fight for a more open, honest and transparent Bolton Council.

“Is the council giving special dispensation to the Labour group or are the Labour group ignoring rules and regulations for their own gain?”

Bolton Council says that the Labour Party was never granted permission to set up their stall in April.

A council spokesman said: “We have never granted a political party permission to use this land.”

Last week, the town hall said that it only allowed the land to be used for ‘commercial purposes and occasional use by charities’.

A Bolton Labour group spokesman said: “Labour Councillors do not usually have stalls as part of its electioneering.

“Activists are free to distribute literature in public places like any other political party, charity or cause.”

Bolton Tory leader, Cllr David Greenhalgh, said: “Once again, sadly, it would appear double standards from the ruling Labour Group.

“I find it very difficult to believe that no senior Labour councillor would have been consulted over the decision to allow a street stall for the Farnworth and Kearsley First Party; and even if it is the case that Labour had a street stall without even seeking permission, that in itself shows an arrogance and a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ approach, which is completely unacceptable.”