BOLTON faces an agonising wait to see if the town will keep vital cash aid to create jobs.

A delegation went to see Michael Wills, parliamentary under secretary in the Department of Trade and Industry in London yesterday to plead for Bolton to keep its assisted area status.

This is allows the town to be eligible for grant aid to encourage firms to set up in Bolton.

The Government is being forced to re-consider its assisted areas by the European Commission which wants the cash targeted at areas of greatest need.

It is likely to be the end of April before the Government reveals which towns will be recommended to the European Commission.

Assisted area status has generated £50 million worth of private investment in Bolton over the last three years.

The delegation was made up of representatives of Bolton Council, Bolton Strategic Economic Partnership and Bolton and Bury Chamber and the town's three MPs.

Bolton South East's Brian Iddon said: "I think the meeting was very constructive.

"I think we put a very vigorous case as to why Bolton should retain the status.

"The minister was very engaged and clearly knew what we were talking about.

"We put a very strong case and emphasised in particular the five wards in the centre of the town with very high unemployment rates - Central, Derby, Farnworth, Burnden and Halliwell.

"I think we put the best case we could, but we know that there will be a cut-back point. There will have to be very strong cases from other places to beat us, but people will be doing their best from there as well.

"We also pointed out the need to re-train people from some of the ethnic minorities in textiles for modern technology."

Bolton North East MP David Crausby said: "We put the very best case that we could. Michael Wills gave no indication of his thinking.

"We stressed it was important that they used the right criteria not just crude unemployment statistics.

"We pointed out the high unemployment in some parts of Bolton. We also pointed out the need for re-training, and other particular local problems.

"It's a case of keeping our fingers crossed and hoping."

Mr Steve Burns, Bolton Council's head of economic development said: "We had a good hearing and we made the point fairly forcibly how vital this was to Bolton.

"We were delighted that all three MPs were there and that there were people from industry who were prepared to give up a whole day to support the town."

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