I have to agree with the letter from Bob Hargeaves last week. The state of the majority of the roads, pavements and footpaths in the borough is appalling.

However, I would like to reassure residents living in North Manor ward that many of these have been reported to the council by your ward councillors. But if there are any potholes in your road then do not hesitate to contact us.

When I inherited the environment portfolio which includes highways following 21 years of a Labour controlled council amidst a Labour government I did what I could with what finance was available. I was deeply grateful when Bury was allocated £400,000 by the Conservative led coalition to assist with potholes following two bad winters.

Therefore, taking account of the dreadful condition of our highways and in particular to the road markings which in some cases are almost non-existent and which are essential to road safety, it is difficult to imagine why Bury’s Labour controlled council, at the recent budget council meeting, turned down an amendment put forward by the Conservative Group and supported by the Liberal Democrats to allocate £500,000 from balances to be used to bring about some improvement to our highway network.

I have no doubt that someone from the Labour Group will answer this letter saying that this amount of money is too small to make any difference. But, in the words of one well known supermarket group, “Every little helps”. Surely that equally applies to Bury’s highway network?

Cllr Dorothy Gunther North Manor Ward Chairman Ramsbottom Tottington and North Manor Area Forum