IT really is toe-curling reading the remarks of both Labour and Tory councillors since the recent local elections. Neither party wants to play now that voters have relegated them to second and third places.

Labour's new leader, Cllr Cliff Morris, tucked the ball under his arm and scurried off, saying his party has not been given a mandate to run the town, so now they will sit back and wait until the Lib/Dems make a pig's ear of it, and voters return them to office, or words to that effect.

The people of Bolton have not in particular given any party a mandate to do the job single-handedly. They are as evenly divided in their voting as they could possibly be.

The Lib/Dems might be lacking in experience in running a council, but they are certainly not lacking in good sense and good ideas for improving things.

Instead of acting like spoilt children who have just had their lollipop taken off them, would it not have been better if Labour had accepted the offer from the Lib/Dems, and then got on with the running of the town and serving the people of Bolton to the best of their ability - the job they were elected to do?

The Tory councillors who have made their views known are equally as bad as Labour, believing - unbelievably - that voters will turn to them after the Lib/Dems have failed. Both Tory and Labour councillors seem more concerned about their hurt pride than about our town, or the people in it.

I am not a Lib/Dem voter, but I wish them well, for the sake of the people of Bolton, and so that we can all enjoy watching these councillors wiping the egg off their faces, as things get better under Cllr Ronson.

However, they have a hard struggle ahead, especially as both Labour and Tories are so hell bent on their downfall.

Brian Derbyshire

Ribchester Grove

Bolton