Wigan Council campaign highlights difference made by local authorities

Wigan Council’s Making a Difference campaign shines a light on those working behind the scenes to deliver high quality services against a backdrop of budget cuts.

Since 2010, the local authority’s budget has seen a real term reduction in government funding of 59 per cent despite growing demand from an ageing population and more complex challenges which sees the council doing more with less.

Two thirds of Wigan Council’s budget is spent supporting vulnerable adults and children.

Earlier this week the council leader, Coun David Molyneux, wrote to the government to ask them for a fairer funding deal for local government.

He said: “Our workforce is committed to delivering the best services to residents. Many of them are residents themselves and genuinely care about the borough and the people in it and want to do the best job possible.

“But without adequate funding our ability to do our jobs effectively and look after our most vulnerable residents will become harder and harder.”

The campaign highlights the impact services have on the lives of residents that they might not even realise, for example:

Over 8,500 potholes are repaired each year to keep people safe on the roads, and staff working on the school crossing patrols across the borough have a combined five centuries of experience between them.

And each year, the council’s registrar teams help 650 happy couples to tie the knot and register around 2,650 new babies every year.