VOTING time is here in the great controversy over a financial boost to Greater Manchester public transport that would be supported by a peak-time congestion charge in Manchester.

As I have said all along, I fully expect the scheme to be sunk by a “No” vote in spite of the expensive campaign run by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive.

I intend to vote “Yes” because — bribe or not — there seems little chance of a much-needed injection of up to £3 billion if the proposed deal is thrown out.

The Labour leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Cliff Morris, intends to wait until he knows what the town’s voters think before telling the other nine Greater Manchester councils whether Bolton is for or against the controversial plan.

Fair enough, but you might remember that I wrote on this page in August that voters would be interested to know the views of Cllr Morris and his Lib Dem counterpart, Cllr Roger Hayes.

Well, now we know. They both told this newspaper last week that they will be voting “Yes” in spite of some reservations.

Cllr Morris believes the benefits of the overall package for Bolton “significantly outweigh the disadvantages” and Cllr Hayes understands the reality — if the proposal is rejected there is no Plan B because the investment will not come from any other source.

Meanwhile, Cllr John Walsh, the leader of Bolton’s Conservative group, maintains his constant opposition to what he regards as a stealth tax — “It is a bad deal for Bolton so, putting Bolton first, I will be voting ‘No’.”

These are three intelligent men who have dedicated years of service to Bolton’s civic affairs and their views must be respected.

The important thing, as in all elections, is that the voters should vote.

My personal hope is that the “Yes” campaign will prevail. We shall see.