Residents give views on future of Wigan for council blueprint

Council bosses are putting together their Deal 2030 plan – the authority’s strategic blueprint for the next decade – which is set to be published in March.

Other news: Arson probe as vandals send play area up in flamesAs part of the process, the town hall held a Big Listening Project last year to get public feedback on what areas of policy should be made priority.

A report outlining the responses was presented to councillors and will be used by bosses as they put together the document.

Officers said residents’ pride in the borough was an “overwhelming” part of the responses they received.

Town centres, feeling safe, the environment, community and inclusion, housing supply, transport and better leisure facilities were included in the most frequent topics raised.

“Lots of residents are concerned that the decline of the town centres would increase anti-social behaviour and prevent people visiting the borough,” the feedback report reads.

“Frequently mentioned was the lack of shops, particularly with the anticipated closure of key retail stores. The town centre was cited as a ‘ghost town’ with empty shops and galleries.”

The council is working separately on its town centre development strategy with a view of offering a mix of uses in Wigan and Leigh, such as retail, leisure and residential facilities.

And bosses last week agreed to extend the free weekend parking scheme to provide a further boost to the borough’s retail sector.

Residents also said feeling safe in their communities should be a key part of the plans, amid cuts to police budgets.

More CCTV and street lighting were among the suggestions to help improve the situation.

Meanwhile, a focus on boosting the environment was a common theme; with aspirations to become a litter-free borough also mentioned.

The town hall recently launched a crackdown on littering, including fines for motorists who throw rubbish from their vehicles.

Members of the confident council scrutiny committee were told officers had visited 83 locations or events, listened to 2,650 residents on their “big green sofa”, received 500 video messages from a bespoke booth and had 666 online survey responses, as part of the consultation.

Residents were asked; what should the borough look and feel like in 2030 and how can we get there together?

The Big Listening Project ran from September until December.

Kathryn Rees, assistant director for reform and transformation, said: “Overwhelmingly, what we heard was pride, a lot of people talked about pride in the borough. And most people were really supportive of the Deal and understood that everyone has a part to play.”

The feedback report will now go before cabinet members with the Deal 2030 set for publication in March alongside the council’s budget proposals for 2019/20.

The report said: “Through the Big Listening Project we were able to gain valuable insight into what matters to the people that live and work in this borough, to capture their aspirations for the future and to help create a future strategy that we can all identify with.

“To build on the success of The Deal, Deal 2030 will set out our vision for the future and the next phase of The Deal with our residents and partners for how we can all work together to achieve it.”