I WOULD like to clarify a few issues following your excellent article on recycling on January 20.

It is a government requirement that we achieve a recycling rate of 20 per cent for 2005/06, rising to 33 per cent in 2010/11. Our current rate is about 12 per cent.

The recycling rate which Cllr Rushton rightly describes as "pathetic" relates to the year which ended on March 31, 2004 - before we took office. The budget that we have to work to for the year April 2004 to March 2005 is that set by the previous Labour administration.

As your article points out, not achieving the government's recycling target will cost Bolton a lot of money - about £150 for every tonne by which we fail. However, achieving it will also cost money - most of which was not included in the budget.

Councillor Morris claims Labour put plans in place to improve the recycling rate, but those plans (if they existed) seem not to have been budgeted for or worked out.

One of my first problems on taking office was the discovery that about 12,500 green bins which should have been given to householders early last year had never been issued. On my instruction they started being given out in August - far too late to have much impact last summer, but better late than never.

I also found that Bolton's recycling record prior to the Liberal Democrats taking control was such a concern to the government that I had to formally re-commit the council to achieving its targets to prevent loss of funding available to help us.

One of our aims on election was to accelerate the recycling rate. From the start of the new financial year in March, we intend to roll out increased recycling opportunities to all households, and I am confident that this will raise the rate to at least 20 per cent and start us moving towards the far higher targets in the future.

I look forward to the support of both the other parties, both to ensure that the resources are available to do it, and in persuading the people of Bolton to help with recycling.

Roger G C Hayes

Executive Member for Direct Services and Area Working

Bolton Council