THE July 2002 edition of Looking Ahead was a disturbing read. Bolton Council, it seems, are deliberately misreading the figures from their so-called consultation.

They print a picture of Bolton's council tenants jumping for joy at the prospect of an arm's-length management organisation in Bolton (ALMO). What really worries me, and should worry every council tenant in Bolton, is the council's attempt to appear democratic.

In the column "What's Next" in the July edition of "Looking Ahead", it is said "a shadow board will be established until the ALMO is legally set up and in operation".

The timescale for setting up the shadow board is July, 2002. "Once the main board is set up and running, the tenant board members will be required to stand down", the paper goes on, but "they can still be elected as part of the full tenant election process. The first of these elections will take place after the full board has been in place for 12 months."

During this 12-month period, the council and its "independent" friends will be stitching up plans for the future of council housing in Bolton. Tenant members will have no more than the opportunity to say "yes sir! yes sir!" We need to resist these plans in order to prevent the private sector "independents" from getting their three bags full!

Gwen Openshaw

(Address supplied)