I WAS most surprised to read a recent article by shadow health secretary Andy Burnham where he said that when he goes to watch his son playing rugby in Leigh, the main thing people talk to him about is about immigration.

That surprised me as I would have thought that our ‘misguided busway’ would have been at the top of residents’ concerns.

Regardless of their merits as issues to chat about on the rugby touchlines, both ills have been caused by either the previous Labour government, of which he was a part, or by our local Labour councils not listening to the wishes of local people.

I still remain unconvinced about the benefits of the busway to/from Leigh.

A high proportion of Manchester travellers use our good X34 service and it is unlikely people who live on the Chapel Street/ Manchester Road/ Chaddock Lane ‘corridor’, especially those travelling to and from work, will make use of the busway services.

My concern has always been that with the introduction of the busway, our X34 express service will either be reduced dramatically or withdrawn altogether in a bid to force people to start using it and justify its existence.

If anybody gains from its introduction, it is perhaps those living in the Tyldesley/ Mosley Common areas onwards.

I hope that I am proved wrong and that Leigh benefits both economically and socially from its introduction, but I remain yet to be convinced.

HT, Leigh