‘A place to watch’: Bolton’s Tory council faces local election reckoning

Towns in the north of England, such as Bolton, are being hit harder by the cost of living crisis than places in the south. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

On a typically grey day in Greater Manchester, the diggers are rumbling along the roads outside Bolton market. Half a decade since the last departure from the old Moor Lane bus station, the council’s “masterplan” for redevelopment is still a work in progress.

“It’s a big disappointment,” says Phyllis Waits, stopping with her husband, John, to buy fish in the market. “Bolton used to be thriving. It’s a Friday morning – it should be absolutely buzzing, but there are only a handful of shops left. Everywhere has closed.”