IT IS a big year for customer services in our borough.
We’re on the cusp of the opening of the borough’s biggest and most ambitious public service construction projects as the new Wigan Life Centre prepares to open its doors.
The Life Centre represents a landmark change in the way the council and its partners operate. It is also embodies our ongoing determination to encourage investment and regeneration opportunities in our borough despite the difficult economic times.
Ultimately it represents excellent value for money for our borough and as you can read on page seven, makes good business sense. We firmly believe that in times of economic hardship it is more important than ever that Wigan has a modern, efficient, approachable public services that are available to all.
WHAT a waste! The problem of what to do with the vast amount of household waste we produce as a borough isn’t one that’s just going to go away.
The council is working hard on how we as a borough can cut the amount of waste we all produce, through recycling and other initiatives, and how we can dispose of the waste we do generate in a more environmentally-friendly and cost-effective way.
This year we have been running a trial of new blue bins that are used for recycling an increasingly precious resource – paper.
As you can read on page six, the trial has been a huge success and we now plan to roll the new blue bins out to households across the borough.
If Wigan Borough really is to compete as the great place to work, play and do business, that we all know it can be, then the borough’s transport network is something we must address.
The council is currently putting together its transport strategy for up to the year 2026 and we need your help. We want to know what your priorities are when it comes to getting around our borough and what you would like to see for the future.
You can find out how to get involved in the consultation for Transport 2026 on pages 18 and 19. Let’s get our borough moving!
FINALLY...Wigan is the greenest borough in Greater Manchester and has many well-known parks and open spaces that we can be rightly proud of.
But if you go off the beaten track a little bit you can find some real hidden gems. On pages 14 and 15 we’ve asked some of the borough’s best known outdoor fans to name their favourite spots.
We think you’ll agree they are all worth exploring in a little more detail and they stand as proof that you don’t need to travel far to find stunning scenery, just put a foot over your doorstep.
