SIR: I am writing to correct one or two inaccuracies in your recent reports/leader articles in the local Conservative Party's financial preparations for the forthcoming general election (BEN October 8/9).

First and foremost, the monies to which you refer are not monies raised to fund the general election campaign either locally or nationally, but are donations towards the Party's long-established quota system introduced to help fund the activities of Conservative Central Office.

The Bolton West Conservative Association, of which I am Chairman, is funded solely by monies raised in Bolton, these monies take the form of subscriptions, donations and the surplus from the many annual fund-raising events organised by the Association and its branches.

Rather than send the money to the Central Office the Association has long contended that monies raised locally should be spent locally.

One recent example of such spending was when the Association funded a massive direct mail survey exercise on behalf of Tom Sackville MP to help him ascertain the opinions of the Bolton West electorate on a whole range of local and national issues. Local funds are also spent publishing newspapers/newsletters, campaigning against the Labour Council's ongoing support for Red Moss Tip, and maintaining the Conservative offices in Princess Street. As you can imagine there is little money left for Central Office after all these activities are taken into consideration.

The Association is neither complacent or unsupported and its members are well aware of the financial demands that will be made on the organisation over the next few months.

Barbara J Porter MBE, Chairman

Bolton West Conservative Association

Churchill House

16 Princess Street, Bolton

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