A cleaner, greener, safer borough

Community safety chiefs are stepping up the fight to make Wigan borough cleaner, greener and safer for local residents.

The Wigan & Leigh Community Safety Partnership, led by Greater Manchester Police and Wigan Council, has appointed a new officer to co-ordinate agencies’ efforts on ‘hot-spots’ across the borough.

Shirley Johnson, seconded for 12 months from the borough’s youth offending team, is charged with finding out what exactly what needs doing where – and pulling together the work of various partners to make it happen.

Shirley will be part of Wigan Council’s community safety team, but her base will be Wigan Fire Station – a measure of Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service’s commitment to addressing the hundreds of deliberate fires that blight neighbourhoods and put fire-fighters at risk.

Councillor Keith Cunliffe, Wigan Council’s Cabinet Champion for Neighbourhoods says:

“Lots of agencies are already doing a lot of good work in neighbourhoods all over the borough, but what we all agree on is the need for a more joined-up approach for the benefit of the people who live in our communities.

“We’re looking to Shirley, with all her knowledge and experience of working with local people, community groups and other organisations, to help us do just that. It’s a short-term appointment with long-term benefits – safer, cleaner and greener for years to come.”

The ‘community improvement programme’ involves taking a close look at various corners of the borough, talking with the people who live and work there, and producing detailed proposals for specific action on the local environment and anti-social behaviour.

Shirley Johnson says:

“I’m delighted to be appointed and I hope that I can help the organisations I work, and the residents I’ll be working with, to lay the foundations for long-lasting improvements in our local communities.”

A community safety ‘summit’ will take place at Ashfield House, Standish, on Tuesday 20th November, when partnership members hope to reach a consensus on the selection criteria for particular localities, detailed programme planning and high-level commitment to specific actions over the next 12 months.