BUSINESS leaders say Bolton is on target to create 16,000 jobs in the next 10 years.

More than 250 people attending the Bolton Vision conference heard chairman Chris Hopkinson deliver an upbeat assessment of the town’s economy and employment prospects.

The businessman has dedicated himself to helping make Bolton Vision a successful partnership between the council, private sector, religions, charities and the police, among many other partners.

Mr Hopkinson told the conference that there were exciting times ahead for Bolton, despite the global economic downturn, and added: “Bolton’s prospects are looking good.”

The six major themes being tackled under the Bolton Vision masterplan are health; achievement; safety; cleaner and greener; prosperous and strong; and confident.

Mr Hopkinson, speaking at the Reebok Stadium event, said the vision for Bolton encompassed many agencies working together to improve life and employment prospects for everyone in the town.

He said the new £40 million Market Place expansion had helped stimulate the local economy.

And he added: “In the first seven days after it opened it saw footfall improve by 25 per cent.”

He added that the £1.2 billion development plan for the town centre over the next 10 years was on track and was expected to create around 16,000 jobs.

The business leader said that future employers would need a skilled, educated workforce and plans for new sixth form colleges, coupled with much improved exam results in achieving schools, were steps in the right direction.

But lots of work was still needed with those young people known as Neets — not in education, employment or training. He said schools, police, charities and social agencies had to work together to give disadvantaged young people a sense that they could break the cycle of poverty and low aspirations and help them realise they could fulfil their ambitions and find work.

The audience heard that, over the past year, schemes to help the long term unemployed and long term recipients of incapacity benefits back into employment had also been introduced.

Mr Hopkinson added that, in the last year, there had been a number of initiatives to reduce crime, vandalism and anti-social behaviour, which concerned many residents.

Health agencies were also trying to improve life expectancy which, in some areas, was 15 years less than the national average.

The numbers of people smoking had also reduced and the Big Bolton Health Check, backed by The Bolton News, was one of the biggest health campaigns of its type in the country, he said.

To improve the environment the council had spent £5 million on improving Bolton’s parks.

Plans were also in the pipeline to restore some of the Victorian splendour of Queens Park.

Taken as a whole, these measures, achieved under the Bolton Vision, made Bolton one of the fastest improving local economies in the country, Mr Hopkinson said.