Horwich wants to join Chorley - and why not, it's a great place to be

Chorley has told Horwich that the Lancashire town is 'a great place to be part of'.
HorwichHorwich
Horwich

The message from Lancashire to its Greater Manchester neighbour came as moves resurfaced to take Horwich out of Bolton - with Chorley a possible new administrative home for the town.

It's not the first time - a resident of Horwich called for the town to join Chorley seven years ago.

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This latest move has come through Horwich Town Council which has written to the Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government regarding the issue.

Chorley Town HallChorley Town Hall
Chorley Town Hall

It follows a request from Horwich town councillor Steven Chadwick,.

Councillor Chadwick, who represents Horwich and Blackrod First Independents on the town council, feels Horwich is losing out with the likes of funding and planning by being part of the larger Bolton Metropolitan borough.

And he says folk in Horwich say they want to break away.

The town council has passed two motions.

One is to reconsider Horwich as part of Bolton Council.

The other is for a review Horwich’s current boundary.

Councillor Chadwick says there would be a public consultation following a review.

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Chorley Council could be an ideal destination following a break away

Or it could link up with neighbours Blackrod, Westhoughton and Atherton and Leigh, under a a newly-created Greater Manchester area.

Meanwhile, councillor Alistair Bradley, Leader of Chorley Council, told Horwich just how good Chorley was in which to live and work.

He said: “We know the Chorley borough is a great place to be a part of so I can understand why the town council might want to look at the possibility of joining our area.

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"Ultimately, that is a decision for the people of Horwich and the wider Greater Manchester area to make in conjunction with the Government.

“We know the frustrations of working in areas where decision-making may feel separated from the local people and that is why we have been supporting a review of how local government is structured in Lancashire.”

The Local Government Act 1972, which created Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, merged Bolton County Borough, Farnworth Municipal Borough Council, Horwich Urban

District Council, Blackrod Urban District Council, Little Lever Urban District Council, Westhoughton Urban District Council, Kearsley Urban District Council and the southern part

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of Turton Urban District Council, within the new administrative area of Greater Manchester.

Councillor Chadwick told the town council: "The current post 1974 Metropolitan Borough, which is confusingly named after only 1 of its 8 constituent parts has created a largely centralised system, whereby funding, resources, and focus is largely directly at the largest town within the borough, at the expense of other outlying towns within the borough.

"After almost 50 years since the 1972 LGA, many residents feel the time has come to look again at the current arrangements.

"I am regularly told by residents that they would prefer to be in an authority other than the current one.

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"As a Town Councillor, I believe it the role of elected officials to reflect and act on local concerns."

Mr Chadwick pointed out that in July, 2014, Horwich resident Mick Stevens attended Horwich Town Council and called for the town to leave the borough and join Chorley.

A subsequent newspaper poll resulted in where 60 per cent of readers wanting to leave.

He continued: "In September 2014, Horwich First Community Group held an online poll of 500 people, whereby 83% of respondents saying Horwich would be “better off” without Bolton.

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"In September 2018, a slightly different question was then asked by Horwich First, “Should Horwich be in a new authority, free of Bolton’s control?” 87% of respondents said yes.

"These are significant results, unlike, for example, other recent public votes.

"The feeling many Horwich residents feel since the LGA 1972 is shared by other towns in the country.

"In both Yarm and Thornaby, Parish Polls have been held requesting a move from Stockton On Tees Council to Hambleton Council.

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"Similarly, residents of Whitby requested a Parish Poll to leave Scarborough Borough Council."

He said a review may agree with a Chorley link up, adding: "Alternatively it may decide that Horwich is best served in Greater Manchester, but with more, new smaller authorities, more in touch, with towns of similar sizes.

"For example, a new authority containing Horwich (21000), Blackrod (5000), Westhoughton (25000), Atherton (22000) and Leigh (42000) authority would have approximately 115,000 residents for comparison, West Lancashire has 114,000 and Chorley has 118,000. Bolton Council has 288,000 residents, for comparison, Trafford and Oldham Councils both have 237,000 residents.

"A review may decide to make no change and confirm the current arrangements.

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"Finally, the Secretary of State may decline to authorise a review. But at least the question, which many Horwich residents want asked, will have been asked for the first time since 1974."

He went on to say: "Boundary changes and local government reviews are a regular occurrence, recent examples include new authorities in Dorset and Northamptonshire, and future reviews include a new Morecambe Bay authority stretching from Lancaster to Barrow.

"In the case of Buckinghamshire, after a review found that 75 per cent agreed with the principle of reorganisation in Buckinghamshire, and overall 87 per cent of the representations made

supported change, the Secretary of State laid the necessary secondary legislation (Statutory Instrument) before Parliament to give effect to his decision."

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