Half a job for Market Street footpaths

Residents will have to wait until 2009 to see the completion of a footpath replacement programme on Market Street.

The cost of replacing the dangerous paving stones on Westhoughton’s main street totals £135,000 but Labour-run Bolton Council has only found £84,000 for the job.

Work should commence on the footpaths shortly, but the job will not be completed until 2009 because of the lack of funding.

Ward councillor David Wilkinson said: “The last time Market Street’s footpaths were replaced in the 1990s, I predicted that we would have to dig up these paving stones before long - and now that has become the case.”

“This just shows that Labour wasted thousands of pounds a decade ago and all these years later, we are only getting half a job once again,” he added.

This latest saga follows on from Labour’s latest botched rescue plan for the market hall.

They spent £120,000 on making the market half its former size to make it look busier than it actually is!

But really, it’s still the same old market with the same old problems.