WITH regard to Cllr Lever's comments (Monday, January 27) blaming Bolton council for the town being named top of a business graveyard list, I feel the need to come to their defence.

My own experience is that Bolton council have always been helpful to my company, Velden Engineering (UK) Limited, and generally supportive to other manufacturing companies in the area.

It's not much fun running a manufacturing business in Bolton, or anywhere in the North-west these days, because the current problems are structural. North Manchester, in particular, has a high proportion of manufacturing companies. The manufacturing sector has been in decline for some considerable time with little signs of any recovery. Only the best of the best, or the fortunate, will survive, every firm has to face up to change and continually improve, innovate or die.

The reality is that goods can be manufactured cheaper abroad in low wage economies such as Poland, India or China, and it is hardly the fault of Bolton council that there is a global downturn at the current time. The events of September 11 have made matters considerably worse.

Having said that, I can't help agreeing with Cllr Lever's comments on over zealous car parking attendants and the current car parking policies.

Alex Kitchen

Velden Engineering (UK) Ltd

Bolton