Key decisions from the meeting of the Full Council, Wednesday 23 July, 2025

Key decisions from the meeting of the Full Council, Wednesday 23 July, 2025

Welcome to our round-up from the latest meeting of the full council.

View the agenda for the proceedings, video footage and minutes of the meeting on Wednesday 23 July, 2025, 6.00 pm (external link).

Mayor’s welcome

The new Mayor of Wigan Borough, Councillor Jenny Bullen, opened the meeting by congratulating borough residents recently named in the King’s Honours List, including Sir Billy Boston.

The Wigan Warriors women’s team also received congratulations for winning the Challenge Cup.

Updates from cabinet portfolio holders

At each full council meeting, cabinet members have an option to update the chamber on key issues relating to their portfolio areas. These are for information purposes only and do not require a vote or the approval of the council members. Here is a selection of some of the updates:

• Councillor Kevin Anderson (police, crime and civil contingencies) updated the chamber on the partnership effort to tackle the recent fire at an illegal waste site in Bickershaw. For more information, visit waste site on Bolton House Road closed
• Councillor Dane Anderton (children and families) made a statement regarding inclusion. He said: “Like all authorities across the UK, we’re continuing to assess the impact of the recent Supreme Court ruling. But let me be clear: here in Wigan Borough, and in this Labour group, our values haven’t changed. We are committed to building a borough where everyone feels safe, valued, and appreciated. Inclusion isn’t a slogan - it’s the foundation of everything we do. It runs through our Progress with Unity missions and through how we work every single day.” To read Councillor Anderton’s speech in full, visit 'Pride is a statement... of love, of visibility, of unity'
• Councillor Paul Prescott (planning, environmental services and transport) provided a wide-ranging update on performance data for the highways and network management teams and confirmed that the GM Clean Air Zone signs are now being removed across the borough
• Councillor Susan Gambles (housing and welfare) updated members on the work of the income maximisation teams and how the value of their support for residents with cost-of-living related issues has now passed the £10m mark (external link)
• Councillor Chris Ready (communities and neighbourhoods) highlighted the number of parks across the borough to have retained their Green Flag status and also emphasised the work of volunteers across the borough
• Councillor Nazia Rehman (resources, finance and transformation) updated colleagues on the progress at the new development of Civic in Wigan town centre. Visit the Civic project for more information
• Deputy Leader, Councillor Keith Cunliffe (adult social care), welcomed the news of the government’s £75m pledge to boost hospices and transform end of life care. Councillor Cunliffe brought a motion to Council previously in December 2023 –  view the agenda for Council on Wednesday 6 December, 2023, 6.00 pm (external link)  – highlighting the issue of funding for hospices
• The Leader of Wigan Council, Councillor David Molyneux MBE, welcomed the recent knighthood for Sir Billy Boston and announced that puppeteer Phil Fletcher and Hacker T Dog will be the latest recipients of a Believe Star.

Report of the LGA corporate Peer Challenge

Members were informed of the publication of the report following the Local Government Association’s peer review of Wigan Council, which was held earlier this year.

The independent review concluded that the council is a "well managed and well-led authority that consistently delivers high-quality services to residents while ensuring value for money."

For an overview of the report, visit Peer challenge highlights 'high-quality' service delivery by Wigan Council.

Elected members were asked to note the recommendations as set out in the report.

Introduction of the borough’s new Cultural Strategy: The Fire Within – The Forge

The authority’s cultural plans for the next five years, building on the success of the previous Fire Within manifesto, were outlined. Councillor Ready emphasised that since 2019 millions of pounds of external investment has come into the borough and a strong cultural partnership ethos is now evident.

To read the full report, view the agenda for the meeting (external link).

Homelessness and rough sleeping strategy

Councillor Susan Gambles presented the council’s new approach to tackling homelessness and rough sleeping, emphasising the partnership response to helping those who are at risk. She said: “The strategy that you have before you is a comprehensive piece of work that was done in partnership with a variety of organisations from the voluntary, community and charity sector along with public and private organisations.”

To read the full report, view the agenda for the meeting (external link).

Notices of motion

Here’s a quick explanation about ‘motions’ at full council:

Motions are proposed by one member and seconded by a colleague. This means they present the motion to the chamber. It is then opened up for debate, meaning all members can speak on that subject should they choose to. The proposer and seconder are then asked to ‘sum up’ before it goes to the vote to see which receive the council’s approval.

Motions regarding the following topics were all approved (meaning members voted by a majority in favour of the motion’s action):

• Councillor Kevin Anderson introduced a motion for the council to support the Let’s Be Blunt anti-knife crime campaign
• Councillor Chris Ready’s motion was on the topic of fertility and improved support for families going through the egg donor process. It calls for the government to provide enhanced and ongoing support for families
• Councillor Dane Anderton called for the council to publicly support the Jamie Oliver Group’s campaign for an inclusive education system that recognises and supports dyslexia
• A motion from Councillor Lee McStein (lead member for crime prevention) called for the council to contact the government urging a review of the Licensing Act 2003. It states: “The current system is slow, limited in scope, and open to misuse. An urgent legislative review is needed to modernise enforcement powers and better protect the public.”