SHOPKEEPERS look set to cash in on a new bid to clean up town centres in Bolton, Westhoughton, Little Lever, Horwich and Farnworth.

Councillors have set up a £200,000 fund to make high streets and precincts more appealing for shoppers -- and more profitable for retailers.

The move comes on the back of a Bolton Evening News campaign that aims to encourage people to take more pride in where they live, work and shop.

Bolton will get half of the money and the rest will be shared between the four other towns. The council now plans to ask shoppers to come up with ideas on how it should be spent.

Council Leader Bob Howarth said: "This type of scheme is exactly what the Bolton Evening News campaign is all about -- getting people involved in making our borough brighter and better."

The Greater Manchester Research Unit claimed in a survey in March that visitors to Bolton town centre had fallen by nearly a quarter in the past four years.

The unit led calls for greater investment to fill 24 empty shops after finding that nearly 10 per cent of shops were empty and that rents were the third highest in Greater Manchester.

Councillors now hope the £200,000 fund will help tempt shopkeepers to take up empty premises.

Some ideas being considered include planting trees, tidying up grot-spots, removing graffiti and clearing up discarded chewing gum.

Councillor Howarth said: "This is not a huge amount of money but, spent carefully, it should help make a difference. Concerns have been raised about the detrimental effect that poorly maintained areas and empty shops can have on the overall look of town centres.

"Hopefully this work will help redress some of the detractions."

He added: "We are looking to invest in more partnerships like in Bolton's Newport Street, where a private landlord and the council have worked together to replace a canopy over some of the shops."

The move has also been welcomed by businessman Andrew Dickson. He said: "It's wonderful news. Litter is one of the borough's biggest problems and I think the town could benefit with having more plants.

"It may not sound like a huge amount, but it's £200,000 more than would normally have been spent."

Karen Wheeldon, Bolton's Town Centre Manager, said: "This money is a good starting point for increasing investment generally.

"We're always happy to see money being spent to benefit the town."

Tell us what you would like to see the money spent on. Contact our Newsdesk on 01204 537270 or e-mail us on: bennewsdesk@boltoneveningnews.co.uk