HOWEVER persistent the brouhaha from the Wigan Road and Sutton Estate direction (Letters, Bolton Evening News, October 4), Cllr Nick Peel is substantially right, and his critics are wrong.
The opportunity cost of signing a petition is negligible, it does not imply either commitment or knowledge, and the moral pressure to jump on a popular bandwagon may be considerable. Not just local government planning committees the length and breadth of the UK, but Government Departments know this, and give much less weight to signatures on a petition than they do to individual letters of objection, on the basis that the author of the individual letter at least cared enough to spend the cost of a first class stamp.
Getting up petitions is the adult equivalent of trainspotting. It is easy to do, it costs little, and it gives you a nice warm feeling. It is, however, ultimately insignificant.
Peter Johnston
Kendal Road, Bolton
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