Politics is all about priorities and you can judge a politician on what they put ahead of all other issues.
I was shocked when, having regained control of Bolton Council, the first big decision that the new Labour leadership made was to increase their own pay by twenty five percent. It was not in any of their campaign literature but that was always their first priority.
I was as surprised as most when I heard of Labour’s second priority. Without even being given leave of the Council, our new mayor has signed us up to some kind of “city” twinning agreement with a small village in Pakistan.
Normally, it is for the monarch to make the decision to declare a town as a new city but Labour think that they can just potter off, usurp any sense of respect and authority just to grandstand. Was this new city status in their election literature and should the Labour mayor think that he can use his chain of office for personal prestige?
What has Labour gained for the borough of Bolton with this “city” twinning agreement and what have they gained for themselves?
Labour should have announced their intentions in the council debating chamber, won cross party support for a non-political visit but instead they look like they have used their position for personal advancement. I could be wrong but let us wait and see what benefits come to people across the Borough from this agreement.
This year’s Bolton Food and Drink festival was the biggest and best ever with a dazzling array of entertainment and stalls. Something I hope that visitors noticed, especially if they do not often pop into town, is all the building work that is going on.
The short stint that the Conservatives had in running the Borough transformed our house building approach from being greenfield first to brownfield first. We started the work in revitalising Bolton centre and, in so doing, protected our green spaces and constrained the increase in traffic and congestion.
It is all a question of political priorities.
This article was originally published in the Bolton News on 2nd September 2023: https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/23759236.chris-green-twinning-agre…
