Anne Kelly (Letters, November 22) hopes that the money to pay for the town hall railings comes from Europe, and not from her council tax. Regrettably Anne, the European money is also your money.

I managed a number of Bolton Council buildings (including the town hall) for about 17 years.

Early on in that time there was a promise by the Duke of Westminster to provide suitable railings across the front of the town hall, this was linked to his Market Place development.

Councillor Ken MacIvor (sadly now deceased) identified some ornate Victorian iron railings and gates at a local high school that had to be demolished which suited the town hall steps perfectly. The rails and gates were salvaged by the council for use on the steps some seven or eight years ago. Where are they now?

The steps were "covered" by a CCTV system, installed at considerable expense, and council security staff were on hand to provide a prompt response to misuse of the steps. Have the cameras now been removed, has the response team gone?

The police allegedly say that they can do nothing about skate-boarding on the town hall steps unless the skate-boarders are committing a serious public order offence. Whatever happened to police officers simply using their "authority" to move people on?

Importantly, who on earth sits back and looks at serious priorities across Bolton before deciding to spend £90,000 on a fence. If the money could be saved, then certainly consider a skate-park for kids. Alternatively some of the £90,000 would pay the heating bills for all of the 180 or so elderly people who will die in Bolton this winter through heat deprivation.

I am sure the community could think of scores of other areas where the money could be better used.

How to save the £90,000? Find the salvaged gates and fence, use them. Check that the costly CCTV and security responses are functioning, use them. Instruct every bobby to stop playing the lawyer, and to start using their authority to move people on.

Ron Shambley, Clough Avenue, Westhoughton