Councillor Stuart Lever

I was born in Bolton on the 16th November 1968 and lived in Farnworth until 1970 when I moved to Tonge Park. I was initially educated at Tonge Moor Primary school and then at Sharples School. I left there with just 5 CSE’s and started work on a YTS scheme in 1985 at the age of 16 working in the building trade. When the company stopped trading I spent a difficult 3 month’s unemployed. In 1987, at the age of 18, with a grant from the Princes Trust of £1000 and a £40 a week allowance from the Enterprise allowance scheme I started my first light haulage business, with one van costing £500 pounds. I got my lucky break when I started to work for Red Bridge, Bolton as their contract driver (which I did for 18 years). The profits I made at Red Bridge enabled me to purchase some rental property and also a rundown shop on Derby Street in 1994. Along with my future wife we turned this into a sandwich shop which we ran for 11 years. In 1999 we set up a van hire Business which we now run from Blackburn Road. I was elected to Bolton Council in 1999 at the age of 30 for Astley Bridge ward which is where I live with my wife and daughter and is the ward that I still serve to this day. (Note: This page may contain personal views of the Councillor which are not necessarily the views of the Council)