I LIVE in Ramsbottom and recently received a copy of Ramsbottom Rose -- a leaflet on behalf of a Labour candidate in yesterday's local elections -- which tells me that Labour in Bury are "delivering" for older people. Delivering what? They are closing elderly persons' homes!

The impression I get from reading the local press is that the whole area of elderly persons' provision in this borough -- both private and public -- is in absolute chaos.

The leaflet also states that local Conservatives are refusing to support Bury's bid for extra funds to modernise and re-build our high schools.

As a former teacher, I have retained an interest in education and, as far as I am aware, the only bids at the moment are PFI (Private Finance Initiative) bids which, to my amazement, do not include Woodhey High School which is excellent, and others in the area. Perhaps it is worth mentioning that, due to a decision taken by Labour, Ramsbottom is to lose its oldest school, St Paul's CE Primary School.

What kind of a kick in the teeth is that for pupils, teachers, governors and, most importantly, for the parents who have just seen their council tax bill increase by 11.7 per cent?

Three years ago, the failed Labour candidate for Ramsbottom, in an impertinent letter to the Bury Times, suggested that Ramsbottom Conservative councillors "needed a map" in order to find the people they represented. This was despite the victorious candidate having lived in Ramsbottom for almost 40 years, another councillor being Ramsbottom born and bred, and the third having lived here for more than 15 years. So much for the Labour Party's knowledge of Ramsbottom!

Unfortunately, their knowledge of Bury doesn't seem to be much better considering that the self-congratulatory caption alongside their candidate, photographed in Bury town centre, states that several businesses have been attracted to Bury. Do they not realise that two of these businesses are actually in Rochdale?

FORMER

RAMSBOTTOM

TEACHER