Andy Burnham has announced that £1m will be spent on repairs at Ashton Library
A £1m funding boost has been announced by Labour’s Andy Burnham for an historic Wigan library which has been closed for nearly two years.
Mr Burnham, Greater Manchester mayor and Labour’s by-election candidate in Makerfield, and Coun Chris Ready, Wigan Council’s portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, visited Ashton Library to announce the cash injection.
They have been campaigning for some time to reopen the centre, along with former Makerfield MP Josh Simons and ward councillors.
Separately, Reform UK candidate Rob Kenyon pledged to fight “tooth and nail” for it to be reopened.
The library, on Wigan Road, has been shut since July 2024 as extensive repairs are needed, particularly to the roof.
A campaign to reopen it was launched in September, amid fears the work needed would be much more expensive than anticipated.
In the meantime, library services were moved out of the Carnegie building and are being provided in The Pavilion at Jubilee Park.
Mr Burnham announced that the local authority has allocated £1m towards the cost of work needed at the library.
He said: “It's great news that Wigan Council have given us the million pounds plus to secure the library, but from there, I want to work to take it to the next phase, which is to fully restore it in every possible way.
"This is a jewel in Ashton's crown, a Carnegie library. These are precious and they need to be looked after for future generations.
"As people know my kids went to school here, I think they visited the library at some point. So many people have been through these doors over the years.
“Public libraries are so important and they should be cherished, so we're going to really work hard to bring forward a funding package to restore it in every sense.
"I'm even thinking about a youth zone for Ashton and maybe that could be based here, or somewhere else, but what we want to see is this library fully used, fully restored, to its former glory."
Coun Ready said: “This £1m is an important first step and Andy has helped us get it over the line.
“We’ve got to the first stage, but now we need the next stage of investment to make sure this gets delivered. I want to thank Andy, the council and the ward councillors who have helped us get here.
“Andy has put his hand on this and he has never let me down. I know he will keep pushing, get people round the table and make sure we carry on until the whole place is fully restored.
“This library means so much to people in Ashton. It is more than books now. It can be about technology, activities, opportunities and giving people of all ages somewhere to go and enjoy.
“It is exciting to see work being done, but there is a lot more to do. Together, we will make it happen.”
Reform UK’s by-election candidate Rob Kenyon, who was elected as councillor for Bryn with Ashton-in-Makerfield North last month, also visited the closed library building to call for it to be reopened.
He said: “Wigan Council’s priorities have been completely wrong. Ashton Library wasn’t just a library, but also a community space. Residents tell me time and time again that they want this space reopened so it can serve the community again.
“If elected MP for Makerfield, I’ll fight tooth and nail to get this library back into top-top shape and carry out the works needed.
“With the support the public have already shown to the campaign to reopen the library, I am confident we can get more people using it and secure its future.”
Voters in Makerfield will go to the polls on Thursday, June 18 for the by-election.
The candidates are: Jake Austin (Liberal Democrats), Count Binface (Count Binface Party), Andy Burnham (Labour and Co-operative Party), Dan Clarke (Libertarian Party), John Dyer (independent), Ed Gemmell (Climate Party), Paul Gould (independent), Howling Laud Hope (Official Monster Raving Loony Party), Rob Kenyon (Reform UK), Robert Pownall (independent), Rebecca Shepherd (Restore Britain), Sarah Wakefield (Green Party), Peter Ward (Rejoin EU Bring in PR) and Michael Winstanley (Conservative).