THE Tory candidate for Bolton North-east has explained why his constituency party gave just £600 instead of its target of more than £4,000 to the Central Tory Election Fighting Fund.

Robert Wilson said the cash was needed to fight campaigns locally.

Mr Wilson, who has taken over as Tory candidate from Peter Thurnham, defended the constituency's decision not to meet its target figure of £4,404.

Although the figure of £600 sent to Conservative Central Office by Bolton North East was just 13.6 per cent of the quota, it is still more than the other two Bolton constituencies - West and South East - which did not send a penny.

Mr Wilson said: "Our view is that money raised locally needs to be spent locally in what is a marginal constituency.

"We have been running some very expensive surveys and mailing of newsletters and the cash is needed in Bolton North-east.

"That is why we did not send as much as we might have done in previous years.

"In this vital pre-election period, the money is needed in Bolton to try and return Tory MPs once again."

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