THIS week, a regional news website posed this question on social media – what would it take to attract you back into your local town centre?

Understandably, it provoked a strong response and much of it was sensible.

People said they wanted more independent traders, new nice places to eat and drink and fewer beggars and ‘chuggers’ hassling them in the street.

Others made the fair point that a big shift in shopping habits and the increase in popularity of buying online rather than leaving the house, was a major factor in town centres’ decline.

One of the major concerns was the cost of parking.

As those of you who have travelled by car into Manchester, charges in the city centre are extortionate.

Three hours at a Manchester city centre NCP will set you back almost a tenner. Eight hours at one location is an eye-watering £28.

This got me thinking about parking charges in Bolton.

It’s about time we dispelled the myth that the cost to leave your car here is prohibitive.

Parking in Bolton is great value compared to many other places in the UK.

For a three-hour stay at the Octagon car park you will pay £3.80.

Twenty four hours is £6 and at weekends and bank holidays parking is free, as well as at the NCP car parks in Deane Road and Topp Way.

At the Market Place, the first hour is free and even after that it’s only £1 for up to two and a half hours and £4 for more than three and a half hours,

As Bolton Council embarks on its ‘masterplan’ to transform the town centre, in partnership with the private sector, there are lots of challenges ahead. Much needs to change in our town centre.

But, one thing is for sure, moaning on the sidelines is not an option.

I am hearing exciting (as yet unconfirmed) plans for Crompton Place and it will be fantastic to see that whole shopping centre site, in a key area, redeveloped.

The Market Place is a great example of what can be achieved with a strong vision and plenty of investment. As this newspaper reported this week, there will be lots more choice in the centre soon when it comes to places to eat.

Just a few yards from the Market Place, the Mill Yard development in the former Bow Street multi-storey car park was recently announced, which aims to house independent businesses and a hotel within the building.

In the wider town centre, there is still a need to fill empty units and attract major retailers, who are themselves struggling at the moment.

But what we can be sure about, is that those complaining about the high cost to park in Bolton town centre simply don’t know what they are talking about.

As a completely unrelated footnote, I talked a couple of weeks ago about the most frightening horror films and the notion that what scares one person can have another in fits of laughter.

My musings coincided with the cinema release of the much hyped Hereditary, which I have since been to see. It is an excellent horror film, with unsettling scenes and some images that stayed with me long after I had left the cinema.

It’s interesting though that among the severed heads, witchcraft and possession, one character’s simple tongue-clicking noise had people jumping out of their seats more than anything else.

Sometimes, the simplest scares are the most effective.