Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
Borough of Wigan | |
---|---|
Motto: Progress with Unity | |
Coordinates: 53°32′N 2°37′W / 53.533°N 2.617°W | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Country | England |
Region | North West |
City region and ceremonial county | Greater Manchester |
Historic county | Lancashire |
Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
Named for | Wigan |
Administrative HQ | Wigan Civic Centre |
Government | |
• Type | Metropolitan borough with leader and cabinet |
• Body | Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council |
• Control | Labour |
• Leader | David Molyneux (L) |
• Mayor | Kevin Anderson |
• Chief Executive | Alison Mckenzie-Folan |
• House of Commons | 4 MPs
|
Area | |
• Total | 72.7 sq mi (188.2 km2) |
• Rank | 150th |
Population (2021)[3] | |
• Total | 329,759 |
• Rank | 32nd |
• Density | 4,540/sq mi (1,752/km2) |
Ethnicity (2021) | |
• Ethnic groups | |
Religion (2021) | |
• Religion | List
|
UTC+1 (BST) | |
Postcode area | |
Dialling codes |
|
ISO 3166 code | GB-WGN |
GSS code | E08000010 |
ITL code | TLD36 |
GVA | 2021 estimate[5] |
• Total | £5.5 billion |
• Per capita | £16,712 |
GDP (nominal) | 2021 estimate[5] |
• Total | £6.5 billion |
• Per capita | £19,649 |
Website | wigan |
The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest town, Wigan but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Atherton, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Golborne, Hindley, Ince-in-Makerfield, Leigh and Tyldesley. The borough also covers the villages and suburbs of Abram, Aspull, Astley, Bryn, Hindley Green, Lowton, Mosley Common, Orrell, Pemberton, Shevington, Standish, Winstanley and Worsley Mesnes. The borough is also the second-most populous district in Greater Manchester.[6]
The borough was formed in 1974, replacing several former local government districts. It is the furthest west part of Greater Manchester, and it is bordered by the Greater Manchester boroughs of City of Salford and Bolton to the east, the Cheshire borough of Warrington to the south, the Merseyside borough of St Helens to the south west, and the Lancashire boroughs of West Lancashire to the west and Chorley to the north.
History
Wigan metropolitan borough was created on 1 April 1974 by the
Before its creation, the name Wigan-Leigh was used in the Redcliffe-Maud Report. It was also suggested that the new metropolitan borough be named Makerfield. However, both names were rejected by a vote of 12 to 2.[9] According to an opinion poll in 2003, 26% of 299 residents surveyed felt they belonged "very strongly" or "fairly strongly" (4% very strongly) to Greater Manchester, 64% (28% very strongly) to the borough of Wigan, and 63% (31% very strongly) to Lancashire.[10]
The metropolitan borough was created from a highly industrialised area of Lancashire that was part of the Lancashire Coalfield and had an important textile industry.
Geography
Wigan borough covers an area of 77 square miles (200 km2), and is the 9th-largest metropolitan borough (out of 36) in England. The borough is the most north western in Greater Manchester. Within Greater Manchester it borders the
Wigan borough has seven
Governance
Local government
For 12 years from the creation of Greater Manchester in 1974, the borough had a two-tier system of
The first
The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is traditionally a Labour Party stronghold - the council has been Labour-controlled since its creation.
Labour had a majority with 43 seats at the 2006 election. The second-largest party was the local
At the 2008 elections Labour was the largest party with 41 seats out of a total of 75; the Conservative Party had 14 seats, Community Action Party eight seats, Independent seven seats, Liberal Democrats four seats, and one was vacant.[18]
In November 2010 (after elections in May), Labour was the largest party with 51 seats out of a total of 75; the Conservative Party had eight seats, Independents seven seats, Community Action Party four seats, Liberal Democrats three seats (one member currently suspended)[19] and two members were 'Independent Conservative'.
As of June 2011 (after May elections), Labour continued to be the largest party with 58 seats out of 75, the Independent Councillor group with 8 seats form the official opposition, the Conservative Party had 5 seats, the Liberal Democrats hold 2 seats, Community Action Party 1 seat and 1 Independent councillor.[20]
In May 2012 (post 2012 Local Elections) the composition of the council was Labour 63 (+5), Others 9 (-1), Liberal Democrats 2 (No change) and Conservatives 1 ( -4).
Presently in May 2018, the Council's political composition is: Labour 60, Conservatives 7, Independent 4, Independent Network 2, Shevington Independents 1, and Standish Independents 1.
The council uses Wigan Town Hall as its main headquarters.[21] Leigh Town Hall is used as a secondary base.[22]
Localities and wards
The borough is divided into 25 electoral wards, each of which elect three councillors. The present wards were adopted in 2023, following a review by the Boundary Commission, the previous review took place in 2003. Prior to 2003 the borough was divided in 24 wards.[23][24] From the 2003 Boundary Review until the 2020s, Wigan Council divided the borough into ten areas by the name of townships, each with a Township Manager (council liaison) and a regularly scheduled Township Forum meeting.[25] However with Austerity cuts This has been replaced with an ad hoc community consultation structure without regularly scheduled community forums or permanent council liaisons consisting of 16 communities or 'Places' divided into 3 unnamed 'Localities', the Locality at the centre of the Borough consists of Ashton, Bryn, Abram, Platt Bridge, Hindley and Hindley Green with all areas to the northwest forming a locality centred on Wigan and all areas to the southwest forming one centred on Leigh.[26] However two Town Centre Managers were appointed in Wigan and Leigh primarily to act as liaisons between the Council and local business.
Former Township | Wards |
---|---|
Ashton-in-Makerfield / Bryn | Bryn with Ashton-in-Makerfield North; Ashton-in-Makerfield South |
Atherton | Atherton North; Atherton South with Lilford |
Hindley / Abram | Abram; Hindley; Hindley Green |
Leigh | Leigh Central & Higher Folds; Leigh North; Leigh South; Leigh West |
Lowton / Golborne | Golborne and Lowton West; Lowton East |
Orrell / Higher End / Winstanley | Orrell; Winstanley; |
Standish / Aspull / Shevington | Aspull, New Springs & Whelley; Shevington with Lower Ground & Moor; Standish with Langtree |
Tyldesley / Astley | Astley; Tyldesley & Mosley Common |
Wigan North | Ince; Wigan Central; Wigan West |
Wigan South | Douglas; Pemberton; Worsley Mesnes |
Civil & ecclesiastical parishes
The borough has three civil parishes: Haigh, Shevington and Worthington. The rest of the borough is an
Parliamentary
The Wigan Metropolitan Borough is currently covered by four parliamentary constituencies,
Coat of arms
Wigan council's new coat of arms is based on various elements from the arms of the councils of its predecessor districts.
Demography
With a population of around 300,000, Wigan is the second most populous borough of Greater Manchester, after Manchester. It has one of the lowest ethnic minority populations, with the 2001 census reporting 98.7% of the population as white. Unemployment is around the average for England and Wales. Approximately 9.5% of the population was recorded as being permanently sick or disabled compared to a national average of 5.5%.[29]
Population change
The table details the population change since 1801, including the percentage change since the last available census data. Although the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan has existed since 1974, figures have been generated by combining data from the towns, villages, and
Population growth in Wigan since 1801 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 |
Population | 41,413 | 50,464 | 60,760 | 69,400 | 78,349 | 93,271 | 120,001 | 146,732 | 173,462 | 212,665 | 239,399 | 269,503 | 267,754 | 266,040 | 266,436 | 266,839 | 284,309 | 302,929 | 307,721 | 310,866 | 301,415 | 317,849 |
% change | – | +21.9 | +20.4 | +14.2 | +12.9 | +19.0 | +28.7 | +22.3 | +18.2 | +22.6 | +12.6 | +12.6 | −0.6 | −0.6 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +6.5 | +6.5 | +1.6 | +1.0 | −3.0 | +5.4 |
Source: Vision of Britain[30] |
The population of the borough has remained roughly static since the 1970s at around 300,000, second to Manchester within Greater Manchester.[31]
The ONS identify the
It considers towns in the east of the borough, Hindley, Leigh, Golborne, Atherton and Tyldesley to be part of the
Aspull and Shevington are identified as standalone urban areas and Ashton-in-Makerfield is considered to be part of the
Ethnicity
Ethnic Group | Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1991<[33] | 2001[34] | 2011[35] | 2021[36] | |||||
Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
White: Total | 304,112 | 99.2% | 297,506 | 98.7% | 309,193 | 97.3% | 312,952 | 95.0 |
White: British | – | – | 294,149 | 97.6% | 303,519 | 95.5% | 302,482 | 91.8 |
White: Irish | 1,744 | 1,459 | 0.5 | 1,353 | 0.4 | |||
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller
|
– | – | 151 | <0.1 | 247 | 0.1 | ||
White: Roma | – | – | 291 | 0.1 | ||||
White: Other | – | – | 1,613 | 4,064 | 1.3 | 8,579 | 2.6 | |
Asian or Asian British : Total
|
1,477 | 0.5% | 1,814 | 0.6% | 3,519 | 1.1% | 5,826 | 1.8 |
Asian or Asian British: Indian | 499 | 681 | 1,019 | 0.3 | 1,532 | 0.5 | ||
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani | 303 | 400 | 676 | 0.2 | 1,342 | 0.4 | ||
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi | 46 | 72 | 109 | <0.1 | 156 | <0.1 | ||
Asian or Asian British: Chinese | 494 | 488 | 891 | 0.3 | 1,234 | 0.4 | ||
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian | 135 | 173 | 824 | 0.3 | 1,562 | 0.5 | ||
Black or Black British: Total | 495 | 0.1% | 539 | 0.2% | 1,678 | 0.5% | 3,907 | 1.2 |
Black or Black British: African | 148 | 302 | 1,310 | 0.4 | 3,081 | 0.9 | ||
Black or Black British: Caribbean | 132 | 194 | 216 | 0.1 | 331 | 0.1 | ||
Black or Black British: Other Black | 215 | 43 | 152 | 0.1 | 495 | 0.2 | ||
Mixed or British Mixed: Total | – | – | 1,298 | 0.4% | 2,756 | 0.9% | 4,353 | 1.3 |
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean | – | – | 416 | 1,015 | 0.3 | 1,148 | 0.3 | |
Mixed: White and Black African | – | – | 199 | 429 | 0.1 | 885 | 0.3 | |
Mixed: White and Asian | – | – | 387 | 783 | 0.2 | 1,293 | 0.4 | |
Mixed: Other Mixed | – | – | 296 | 529 | 0.2 | 1,027 | 0.3 | |
Other: Total | 437 | 0.1% | 258 | – | 703 | 0.2% | 2,292 | 0.7 |
Other: Arab | – | – | – | – | 304 | 0.1 | 711 | 0.2 |
Other: Any other ethnic group | 437 | – | 258 | – | 399 | 0.1 | 1,581 | 0.5 |
Total | 306,521 | 100% | 301,415 | 100% | 317,849 | 100% | 329,330 | 100% |
Religion | 2021[37] | |
---|---|---|
Number | % | |
Christian | 206,870 | 62.8 |
Muslim | 4,155 | 1.3 |
Jewish | 84 | <0.1 |
Hindu | 995 | 0.3 |
Sikh | 122 | <0.1 |
Buddhism |
831 | 0.3 |
Other religion | 1,099 | 0.3 |
No religion | 99,784 | 30.3 |
Religion not stated | 15,390 | 4.7 |
Total | 329,300 | 100.0 |
Transport
Public transport in Wigan MBC is co-ordinated by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).
The borough is served by an extensive bus network with most services operated by
Several railway lines cross the borough.
Leigh is one of the largest towns in the UK without a railway station. Westleigh station, on the Bolton and Leigh Railway, closed in 1954.[40] Leigh and Tyldesley stations on the Tyldesley Loopline were closed in 1969.[41]
The Leeds and Liverpool and Bridgewater canals meet in Leigh town centre. The M6 motorway crosses the west of the borough, and serves Ashton-in-Makerfield at junctions 23 and 24 (north only) and 25 (south only), Wigan at junction 25 (south only), Wigan/Orrell at junction 26 and Standish junction 27. The M58 motorway, to Liverpool, terminates at junction 26 of the M6 near Orrell. The dual carriageway A580 East Lancashire Road linking Liverpool to Manchester crosses the south of the borough.The A579 runs from Bolton to the M6 via Atherleigh Way, which runs from the west of Atherton, bypassing Leigh town centre to reach the East Lancashire Road at the Warrington border.
Twinning
The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan has one twin town in France.[42]
Country | Place | County / District / Region / State | Originally twinned with | Date | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
France | Angers | Pays de la Loire | Metropolitan Borough of Wigan | 1988 |
Freedom of the Borough
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Wigan.
Individuals
- James Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford: January 1900.
- Sir William Gorman: 1954.
- David Whelan: 30 August 2007.
- Lord Smith of Leigh: 7 December 2011.
Military units
- D Squadron (TA Reserve) Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry: 27 February 2008.[43]
- The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment: 2 December 2019.[44]
References
Notes
- ^ "Council". Wigan Council. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2021". Office for National Statistics. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2021". Office for National Statistics. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ a b Fenton, Trevor (25 April 2023). "Regional gross domestic product: city regions". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ "Greater Manchester (United Kingdom): Boroughs - Population Statistics, Charts and Map". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ a b Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c. 60. HMSO.
- ^ Local Government (Successor Parishes) Order 1973. 1973/1110. HMSO.
- ^ Clark 1973, p. 101.
- ^ "MORI local government and identity opinion poll December 2003 - February 2004" (PDF). The Boundary Committee for England. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
- ^ "Three major parties find cause for satisfaction in local election results despite low poll". The Times. 12 May 1973.
- ^ "Executive Leader - David Molyneux". Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council.
- ^ "Cllr David Molyneux announced as new council leader". The Bolton News.
- ^ "GMC Lord Peter Smith". Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
- ^ "Borough rejects elected mayor" (Press release). Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council. 15 June 2001. Archived from the original on 6 March 2002. Retrieved 15 June 2001.
- ^ a b "Local elections: Wigan". London: BBC News. 4 May 2006. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
- ^ "Labour licks wounds after polls". London: BBC News. 11 June 2004. Retrieved 11 June 2004.
- ^ "Summary of seats 2008". Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- ^ "Councillor details - Councillor Robert Mark Bleakley". 9 May 2007.
- ^ "Composition of the Council". Archived from the original on 8 October 2012.
- ^ "21st century Town Hall" (Press release). Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council. 7 August 2006. Archived from the original on 26 August 2006. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
- ^ "Makeover for Leigh Town Hall" (Press release). 13 June 2006. Archived from the original on 9 October 2006. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
- ^ Final recommendations on the future electoral arrangements for Wigan (PDF). Boundary Committee. September 2003. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
- ^ "New Wigan Wards Map". Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council.
- ^ "Townships". Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 6 November 2006.
- ^ "Locality map".
- ^ "Greater Manchester: New Constituency Boundaries". Martin Baxter. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
- ^ "Safe Seats analysis". Electoral Reform Society. 28 April 2005. Archived from the original on 3 December 2006. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
- ^ "Census 2001 - Profiles - Wigan". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
- ^ "Wigan District: total population". Vision of Britain. Retrieved on 20 December 2008.
- ^ "Wigan District population". Vision of Britain. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
- ^ "Table KS01 Usual Resident population". Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original (XLS (Excel spreadsheet)) on 23 July 2004. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
- ^ Data is taken from United Kingdom Casweb Data services of the United Kingdom 1991 Census on Ethnic Data for England, Scotland and Wales (Table 6)
- ^ "Office of National Statistics; 2001 Census Key Statistics". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
- ^ "2011 Census: Ethnic Group, local authorities in England and Wales". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
- ^ "Ethnicity - Ethnicity by local authorities, ONS".
- ^ "Religion - Religion by local authorities, ONS".
- ^ "Wigan Wallgate". National Rail. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- ^ "Wigan North Western". National Rail. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- ^ "WestLeigh Station". Disused Stations. Subterranea Britanica. Archived from the original on 4 September 2007. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- ^ "Pennington Station". Disused Stations. Subterranea Britanica. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
- ^ "Town Twinning". Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2007.
- ^ a b "Honorary Freemen of the Borough". www.wigan.gov.uk.
- ^ "Army regiment to receive the 'freedom of Wigan' for its service to the country".
Bibliography
- Clark, David Michael (1973). Greater Manchester Votes: A Guide to the New Metropolitan Authorities. Redrose. ISBN 978-0950293202.