An £11.5m investment into more than 100 public buildings is "a damning indictment" of the work on these buildings before, according to one councillor.

The council announced the investment into Bolton Library, Bolton Museum, the town hall and more than 100 other buildings in the borough last week.

The work on Bolton Library and Bolton Museum focuses on its roof and its windows to ensure it is watertight. The work on the town hall focuses on its roof and its windows as well as its clock tower and its heating system.

There are surveys on more than 100 other buildings to check on their condition, and to check for Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), the type of concrete prone to collapse which hit the headlines this year.

On Wednesday last week Andrew Williamson, assistant director of transformation, presented the work to a meeting of the Place Scrutiny Committee.

Mr Williamson said: "We as a council are the guardians of the civic buildings across the borough. These civic buildings are prized by the residents of our borough and the visitors to our borough.

"We have a responsibility to maintain them as assets."

The Bolton News: Bolton Library and Bolton Museum

Most councillors in attendance at the meeting supported the work but Cllr John Walsh, of the Conservative Group, said it is a "damning indictment".

Cllr Walsh referred to the refurbishment of the clock tower in around 2010 and the refurbishment of the Albert Halls in around 2015.

On the clock tower, Cllr Walsh said: "I had the opportunity to go to the top of the tower. What I saw was the clock was displaced by about six inches. 

"This was brought to the attention of members and the ruling group [Cliff Morris's Labour Group] said it was not a priority."

On the Albert Halls, Cllr Walsh, said: "These problems were supposed to be patched up when the refurbishment of the Albert Halls took place but we've a ceiling in the council chamber corridor which is plasterboarded and we've the Mayor's Parlour which water is pouring into.

"It's a damning indictment of the work that's been carried out in the lifetime of members on the council and that's a worry."

Cllr Martyn Cox, the leader of the opposition, took on cabinet member for climate change Richard Silvester over the plan to patch up the old heating system rather than to replace it with a new heating system at the town hall.

Cllr Silvester said the Conservative Group set back the council on its target to reach net zero by 2030.

Cllr Cox said: "You said you've a plan to patch up the old system which seems to suggest you've no plan to replace it with the new system.

"Is it a serious proposition to do this before 2030 or is it the same thing you are trying to eliminate – hot air?"

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.