Bolton Council debate over potholes sparks heated row

The motion was put by Conservative Cllr John Walsh and called on the council to write to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Bolton’s three MPs asking the government to tackle pothole repairs.

But Cllr Walsh’s claim that Sir Keir’s position flew in the face of Bolton Labour leader Cllr Nick Peel’s position on potholes proved to be highly controversial.

Cllr Walsh, of Astley Bridge, said: “It is interesting that the issue of potholes is not a new occurrence.

“I was reading as a matter of interest the 1792 Bolton Enclosure Act which placed a duty on the then trustees of Great and Little Bolton and their successors, so it is our duty to fill potholes.”

Potholes have long been a cause of concern throughout Bolton (Image: Public)

He added: “Their duty was to fence and light them so that horses and carts and travellers didn’t fall into potholes.”

Cllr Walsh said that this responsibility persisted to the present day and called on the council to make this clear to the newly elected government.

But his claim that Labour’s Cllr Peel had said that potholes were “not his priority” as well as making this call to the new government so soon into its tenure prompted a lively argument.

Liberal Democrat Cllr David Wilkinson, of Westhoughton South, argued that 14 previous years of Conservative government had been responsible for slashing much of the budged.

He also pointed at that at the time the debate was held, the Labour government had been in power for just 20 days.

Cllr Wilkinson said: “I’m possibly, over the next few months and years, going to give the Labour members and MPs a bit of a kicking. But 20 days?”

The row erupted at Bolton Town Hall (Image: Newsquest)

Responding to Cllr Walsh, Labour leader Cllr Peel, of Tonge with the Haulgh, said his group “will never support a motion that deliberately misquotes a member of this council.”

He said that he had already asked council officers to write to the government about potholes and said that he had not said that repairs like these where not a priority.

Cllr Peel said: “What I did say is that children will always be a priority over potholes.”

He added: “This group will never, ever put potholes before children.”

Cllr Peel said his group would be voting against the motion because of concerns about the “misleading” claims it made.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Roger Hayes, of Smithills, said that he had hoped to "have some fun" with the debate but the misquoting allegations made it "rather more serious."

He also said that cuts over "many, many years" had left budgets for things like highway repairs in a poor state.

Conservative group leader Cllr Martyn Cox said that claims that Cllr Peel had been misquoted were not true.

He also said that other parties had had to make hard choices over budget cuts and priorities.

Cllr Cox said: “You know that’s false, you know that’s misleading.”

He added: “Government is about difficult choices and if councillors come up saying ‘I want money for this, I want money for that’, you are living in cloud cuckoo land.”

Cllr Cox said that his group would be voting for the motion, while Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Garry Veevers, of Smithills, said his group would be voting against.

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But Cllr Veevers said that the Liberal Democrats would still be asking for promises to write to the government.

Labour’s Cllr Martin Donaghy said that the motion was “based on a falsehood” and that voting for it would be “creating a dangerous precedent.”

But in response to questions, Cllr Walsh invoked the notorious “Asons” affair.

This referred to Bolton Council’s controversial grant of £300,000 to Asons Solicitors under the then Labour leadership of the late Cllr Cliff Morris.

Cllr Walsh said: “If ever there was a lack of integrity, Cllr Peel remember that.”

He added: “When Cllr Peel used the word prioritised in a statement, it remains fact.”

The motion was rejected.