BOLTON Friends of the Earth campaigner, Dennis Watson has hit back at comments by Council Leader Cllr Bob Howarth who branded him an "oddball" following his shock announcement to quit the town's Environment Forum.

Cllr Howarth made the comments last week in response to criticisms of a council leadership "obsessed with unsustainable projects."

But in a letter to every member of Bolton Council, Mr Watson blasts Cllr Howarth for the remarks.

He says: "Our views, against which Cllr Howarth spoke so vehemently, are common not only to Bolton FoE and our national organisation, but also to many thinking people throughout the world. On the basis of his criteria, we are all "oddballs." Mr Watson quit the Environment Forum over issues including the council's support for Red Moss tip, a new shopping development at Horwich, and their failure to block the waste incinerator at Bolton General Hospital. He also accuses the council of trying to keep the public in the dark about crucial issues affecting the public.

Cllr Howarth said he apologised if Mr Watson had been personally offended by any of his remarks, but stood by his criticisms of the attack on the council.

He said: "To suggest that we are not concerned about the environment is nonsense. He chose to pull out of the Forum at the beginning of Environment Week and we have some marvellous plans which will go ahead with or without Mr Watson."

"With the Millennium plans we will try to improve the old river valleys and this will go alongside the Red Rose Forest plans." "Mr Watson does not give any answers and he is criticising while having the luxury of not having to make decisions. You can't tell people not to use their cars or drive to supermarkets and we can't tell Bolton Wanderers to stay in Burnden." His letter goes on: "Perhaps we should mention the Council's attempts to build a secret society which rivals that of the Square Dealers. Whenever anything remotely contentious or likely to result in awkward questions from the public arises, the Council shuffle off behind their Part B screen.

"This is oddball behaviour par excellence, and is reminiscent of the proverbial ostrich that buries its head in the sand unaware that its ugly rump is visible to all and sundry." I would reiterate that we have to deal with the real world and have to make choices and compromises and there are no easy answers and as far as secrecy is concerned we have always tried very hard to get the maximum part of agendas for meetings in the public arena. The technique of personal defamation of individual representatives of environmental organisations whose views are not welcomed by the recipients is common practice amongst sleazy back-street companies, but it is very sad to see Bolton Council following that same route.

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