BOLTON councillors must at times wonder whether there is anything they can do right.
After years of protests from the many decent people who live in The Haulgh -- once one of inner Bolton's poshest areas -- the council came up with a scheme to help The Haulgh's "bedsit land".
It was assumed that landlords would jump at the chance to claim 20pc for improvements they made. Their properties would then be given star ratings to try to raise standards.
But now the landlords say they are scapegoats for The Haulgh's problems and claim they will be footing the lion's share of the bill to regenerate the area.
Yes they will for their own buildings, but judging by the state of many of them, bedsit land is crying out for a facelift. And you can't expect the council to foot the whole bill for what, after all, are profit making businesses. Speculate to accumulate THE Board of Burnden Leisure, owners of Bolton Wanderers, appear confident they will be able to reduce their massive debt.
To most Wanderers' supporters, the figure of £26.1 million in the red will appear awesome.
Chairman Phil Gartside's assurance that the company is "on target" with its business plans will be hard to grasp for anyone who considers a huge figure to be the £17 at least that it costs to get into a Reebok match.
But companies which think big, like Burnden Leisure, think in millions. They are changing the shares structure to try to boost income and looking at all kinds of other ways to cut costs and balance the books.
Director Eddie Davies has given a new slant to the word "supporter" with a £2million interest-free loan.
And the courage that brought about the development of such a futuristic stadium could turn out to be the Wanderers' long term salvation.
Already the Reebok has become established as a major conference centre and pop cauldron -- the Oasis concert saw to that. Just how lucrative that kind of event can be was revealed at the AGM when it was announced that it had made £300,000.
With money like that, they could hire Beckham for a month.
It also looks as though there could be more where that came from, with other major gigs -- one involving "an Irish girl band".
Corr-blimey, that's a Bewitching prospect!
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