Towns across Wigan Borough are to be given a £10m cash boost to kick-start regeneration and support local businesses, the leader of Wigan Council has announced.
Councillor David Molyneux, announced the £10m investment fund at the council’s budget meeting held on Wednesday 6th March.
Cllr Molyneux spoke of the importance in supporting all town centres across the borough and helping them to thrive despite the challenges posed from online shopping and out of town centres.
Cllr Molyneux said: “The £10m town centres investment fund will be dedicated to helping all our towns across the borough.
“The success of our town centres is a vital issue for our residents and the borough as a whole.
“We know from our recent Big Listening Conversation that the future viability of our towns is one of the highest priorities for residents.
“I said I would listen throughout my leadership and this significant investment is a response to those concerns.”
Cllr Molyneux said the opportunity to be able to invest a large sum of money in our centres has been made possible thanks to The Deal and the council’s prudent financial management.
The investment fund comes following confirmation that weekend parking on council car parks in Wigan and Leigh town centres will be free for the next year – at a cost of £400,000.
Cllr Molyneux made a plea to the public to support the efforts the council was making and for people to use their local town centres.
He said: “We are doing our bit and I would appeal to the public to do their bit by buying locally from their local town centre.
“If we value or town centres and are concerned about their future then we have to use them ourselves.
“That is part of The Deal approach – we all have a responsibility to support our local area and make it the best it possibly can be.”
Earlier in the year the council unveiled a long-term overarching plan for the redevelopment of Wigan town centre.
This includes ambitions for the Galleries shopping centre and relocation of Wigan Market as well as introducing new uses such as residential, offices and cultural and arts space.
At the meeting on Wednesday 6th March Wigan Council approved the freezing of its element of council tax for the sixth year in the row and heard that there were no cuts to frontline services planned despite the council losing £160m of funding since 2010.
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