THE first article in the Bolton News regarding new investment for the Old Library in Great Lever (October 18) referred also to the Halliwell UCAN centre.

Halliwell is benefiting from Place Based Integration. Staff from different sectors are coming together in teams with the community to improve people’s lives where it has been difficult to make progress in the past.

Halliwell has a sizeable UCAN centre. Can the community of Great Lever have the same?Great Lever ward councillors have my full support. Farnworth and Great Lever (Harper Green ward covers some of both) deserve well funded neighbourhood management and similar UCAN services.

Local services can help where there are sizeable numbers of the around 19,000 people in the borough of working age that are not in work.

Much more can be achieved if local projects like men’s support groups, job clubs and activity groups have really good local bases.

Our public health officials tell us the best single thing to improve people’s health is having a job. The Labour party campaigns on job security and fair wages for workers. Bolton will benefit from the £28 million given under devolution to Greater Manchester to help people with health problems find work.

But people need skills to get jobs. There are people in Great Lever with zero skills or low skills.

When people are isolated or inactive and don’t have local services to support them it is harder to get on in life; to get skills access, to have good leisure experience, to get internet access and to get support. Every pound spent in communities does need to show value for money.

Councils, who despite hideous austerity cuts, find finance to support areas where there is real need, like the finance allocated to develop the Old Library in Great Lever, are doing right by those who deserve more of the country’s investment.

Councillor Sue Haworth

Labour councillor Bolton MBC