Friday 27th April 2007
(ref:
114/2007)
With just a few days before the local elections, Wigan Council is reminding people of the importance of spending a few minutes on 3 May, polling day, to go out and vote.
On average it takes just twenty minutes from door to polling booth for someone to make their mark. Now council chiefs are hoping to show the importance of those 20 minutes, given that every individual vote plays a role in shaping the decisions that are taken by local government everyday.
In Wigan less than 30% of voters bothered to exercise their hard-won democratic rights in 2006, but the council is hoping that figure will increase this year.
In the same 20 minutes it takes to vote, local authorities in England will spend £3,693,531 on the services they provide, which range from care for the elderly and running schools to keeping roads and pathways in good condition. Further statistics show the breakdown of spending in 20 minutes across a range of services provided by local authorities:
- £1,369,254 on education
- up to £556 will be spent on removing the 293,000 cars left abandoned every year
- £349,277 on culture, the environment and planning
- 12,975 books will be borrowed from public libraries;
- 259 tonnes of household waste will be recycled
- 25 planning applications will be received
- 95,129 visits will be made to green urban spaces
- 28 children will witness domestic violence
- 9 couples will marry
- 11 million miles will be travelled on Britain’s roads
What Wigan Council does affects everyone…and it’s about far more than just emptying the bins. Managing schools and council homes, supporting victims of domestic violence, licensing marriages and shops which sell alcohol, providing sports facilities, road safety, street lighting, recycling, park maintenance, care of the elderly…the list of services is almost endless.
Joyce Redfearn, Wigan Council Chief Executive, said: “Taking around 20 minutes out of your day to make your mark and vote in the local elections will help ensure that your local services are managed and delivered in the way you and your family want them to be.
“Local government wards are smaller than parliamentary constituencies and every vote counts, so whether it’s education, roads, parks or recycling that is top of your agenda, we hope people will use 20 minutes to make a difference on 3 May.”
For information about your local elections, and where to go to cast your vote visit www.aboutmyvote.co.uk A list of local candidates is available on Wigan Council’s website.
