MAY I congratulate you and thank you for your excellent and most timely article in your paper on Friday, July 21 -- "Don't allow freedom of speech to die".

My Conservative colleagues and I, along with the Liberal Democrats, have tried for a long time to persuade the Labour Party that secrecy and democracy are incompatible bedfellows. During the Council meeting last week, your reporter heard Cllr Harkin assert that his party will continue with Cabinet-led local government behind closed doors, because the Labour Government had not yet told them what to do. The true democrat, of course, knows instinctively that democracy demands openness and does not need to be told what to do.

I have described your article as "timely" because I believe it is so important that the people of Bolton should understand what is happening in Bolton Town Hall under the guise of modernisation. As you rightly say, "democracy is being paralysed under the ambitions of politically motivated councillors and tin-pot legislators". The former love to think of themselves as 'ministers' and the latter as 'civil servants'. The officers will undoubtedly be happy with the new arrangements, as there has been a significant shift of responsibility from the elected councillor to the paid official.

You will, of course, now be demonised by Labour councillors because that is what always happens to anyone who dares to criticise their policies on intellectual or political grounds.

The underlying problem in Bolton is that Cllr R L Howarth and his senior colleagues have been in power for too long (20 years) and they now believe they cannot be wrong on anything and they must 'win' every debating point.

It is also apparent that, now that councillors with special responsibilities are paid up to £20,000 per year, they will be reluctant to stand aside to allow younger and more vibrant colleagues to take over. Twenty years is too long for Council leadership -- they are now well past their 'sell-by' date.

Somebody might like to point out that I am older than Bob Howarth -- true, but I have not held any major responsibilities for many years.

Cllr J C Hanscomb

Bolton Metro

Town Hall, Bolton