AN estate at Hulton Lane, Deane has been dubbed "a vision of hell" by Bolton MP and Home Office Minister Tom Sackville. Now, it has been revealed that it may be in line for a £1 million-plus bid for Capital Challenge Fund cash.

Unknown to Mr Sackville, the cash application was made to the Department of the Environment last month. When he visited the estate, he was appalled at the state of the area where drug-related crime is a major problem and many empty properties have been boarded up.

He accused Bolton Council of housing mismanagement. Now, Cllr Noel Spencer is calling on him to support the extra funding application. If the town gets this cash, a range of improvement pilot projects will be introduced on the estate.

Plainly, the time has come to start actively backing any plan which will improve the estate. As Cllr Spencer rightly points out, it is now important to help them improve the community - hopefully, with a large chunk of vital cash.

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