Township Forums are the local element of Wigan Borough Partnership and contribute to the delivery of the Sustainable Community Strategy and Local Area Agreement
Wigan town is the administrative centre of Wigan Borough, and at a neighbourhood level there are two parts, both overlapping to include the town centre itself. Wigan North includes the communities of Beech Hill, Scholes, Whitley, Lower Ince, Swinley and Higher Ince. Wigan South includes: Goose Green, Marus Bridge, Worsley Hall, Newtown, Worsley Mesnes, Kitt Green, Norley Hall, Lamberhead, Pemberton, Marsh Green and Poolstock.
Wigan’s history dates back to Roman times, and there was a significant involvement in the English Civil Wars, with Oliver Cromwell passing through the town at least twice, although loyalties remained with the crown which led to the King awarding the town the motto of ‘Ancient and Loyal’. Modern history is inextricably linked to coal, success at rugby and football, and the Northern Soul music scene epitomised by Wigan’s famous Casino night club. Today’s town centre is well inside the UK’s top 100 retail destinations, with attractive modern arcades, public art and floral displays. Wigan and Leigh College attracts students from around the world and a revolution in public services is underway as the multi-million pound Wigan Life centre, with library, gym and swimming pool, is nearing completion alongside the historic town hall building – once an international mining college.
In Wigan South, the DW Stadium sits alongside a major retail centre with restaurants and a cinema, and not far away is the Heinz factory, where a billion cans a year are made, some 12 per cent of the company’s entire world production. The first of the borough’s new Life Centres opened at Marsh Green library in 2010, offering local public service information at the heart of the community.
It is the Township with the highest population density. There is an MP for the town of Wigan and three ward members from each of the wards of Wigan Central, Douglas, Worsley Mesnes and Pemberton.
Township Newsletter: Updated August 2011
Find out more about what's happening in your township (.pdf, 384kb)
Wigan South Health Profile
Wigan South Area Profile
To see how Wigan South compares to the other nine Townships, see the Township Key Indicator Index (.pdf, 26kb), which ranks all ten Townships according to a range of key indicators. Wigan South's specific performance can be seen in more depth from the Township Key Indicator Spine Chart (.pdf, 10kb). Wigan South's Key Indicator Profile Report (external link) contains the actual figures for each of the Key Indicators contained in the Index and Spine Chart.
Place Survey
The Place Survey is a bi-anuual national survey undertaken by every local authority in the country. It asks residents about many different issues including how they feel about their local area, the services they receive and about local issues such as anti-social behaviour, litter and transport. A Place Survey Presentation (.pdf, 990kb) highlighting local findings has been created for each of Wigan's ten Townships.
WISDOM
For more statistics and information on this and other Townships, WISDOM (Wigan's Information System of Dynamic Online Maps) provides you with easy access to local statistics and intelligence about each of the 10 Townships in the borough, as well as other geographies.
