I TOTALLY agree with the younger letter writers about skateboard parks and the way the council has handled their plight.

Almost seven months ago, a local area residents' representative and I sat in a meeting with then council leader Bob Howarth. We were invited because of the anti social behaviour problems in the centre/north area of the town and we were trying to discuss the problems of rising anti social behaviour and criminality amongst youths - specifically in the Halliwell/Blackburn Road area.

I felt as though the council had lost the plot, and indeed, from continued Bolton Evening News reports recently it seems that these more important issues were, and have been, largely ignored. It was only a month before that we raised these same issues at a number of the local centre/north area forum meetings. All the requests for help seemed to have fallen on deaf ears and the only thing the council seemed to be bothered about was the youngsters who had caused what they could only describe as a "disturbance" as opposed to those people who have terrorised residents from their own homes.

The irony is that if Mr Howarth had at the time turned around at one of those area centre forum meetings he attended he would have seen young people who were collecting supporting names who were at the time trying to raise the issue and awareness of developing a skateboard park.

The amount of money Bolton spends on youth services is enormous and this is something that should be radically addressed. Alas, the way the Labour Government's transport policy is going, it won't be long before we will find skateboards with parking tickets and traffic police with radar guns chasing after those who take up the sport.

Ian Upton

Thomas More Close

Bolton