Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council

Local authority for Wigan, England

Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council

Coat of arms

Corporate logo

Type
Type|

Metropolitan borough council

Leadership

Mayor

Jenny Bullen,
Labour
since 21 May 2025[1][2]

Leader

David Molyneux,
Labour
since 23 May 2018

Chief Executive

Alison McKenzie-Folan
since 2019[3]

Structure
Seats| 75 councillors

Political groups

Administration (62)
Labour (62)
Other parties (12)
Conservative (1)
Independent (11)
Vacant (1)
(1)

Joint committees

| Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Greater Manchester Police, Fire and Crime Panel
Elections

Voting system

| First-past-the-post

Last election

| 2 May 2024

Next election

| 7 May 2026
Motto
Progress with Unity
Meeting place
Town Hall, Library Street, Wigan, WN1 1YN
Website
wigan.gov.uk

Wigan Council, or Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council, is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority since 2011.

The council has been under Labour majority control since the metropolitan borough was created in 1974. It meets at Wigan Town Hall and has its main offices at the adjoining Wigan Life Centre.

## History

[edit]

Further information: County Borough of Wigan

The town of Wigan was an ancient borough, having been granted a charter in 1246. From around 1350 the borough was led by a mayor. The borough was reformed to become a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. It was then governed by a body formally called the 'mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Wigan', generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council.[4]

Old Town Hall, King Street: Built 1867, vacated 1990 and demolished 2013

When elected county councils were established in 1889, Wigan was considered large enough for its existing council to provide county-level services, and so it was made a county borough, independent from the new Lancashire County Council, whilst remaining part of the geographical county of Lancashire.[5]

The larger Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and its council were created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as one of ten metropolitan districts within the new metropolitan county of Greater Manchester. The first election was held in 1973. For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's fourteen outgoing authorities, being the borough councils of Wigan and Leigh, the urban district councils of Abram, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Aspull, Atherton, Billinge and Winstanley, Golborne, Hindley, Ince-in-Makerfield, Orrell, Standish-with-Langtree, and Tyldesley, and the Wigan Rural District Council. The new metropolitan district and its council formally came into being on 1 April 1974, at which point the old districts and their councils were abolished.[6]

The metropolitan district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Wigan's series of mayors dating back to the 14th century.[7] The council styles itself Wigan Council rather than its full formal name of Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council.[8]

From 1974 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater Manchester County Council. The county council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to Greater Manchester's ten borough councils, including Wigan, with some services provided through joint committees.[9]

Since 2011 the council has been a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which has been led by the directly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. The combined authority provides strategic leadership and co-ordination for certain functions across Greater Manchester, notably regarding transport and town planning, but Wigan Council continues to be responsible for most local government functions.[10][11]

## Governance

[edit]

Wigan Council provides metropolitan borough services. Some strategic functions in the area are provided by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority; the leader of Wigan Council sits on the combined authority as Wigan's representative.[12] There are three civil parishes in the borough at Haigh, Shevington and Worthington which form an additional tier of local government for their areas; the rest of the borough is unparished.[13]

### Political control

[edit]

The council has been under Labour majority control since the 1974 reforms.[14][15]

Party | Period

|

| Labour | 1974–present

### Leadership

[edit]

The role of Mayor of Wigan is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1974 have been:

Councillor | Party | From | To

|
|
|

Tom Hourigan[16][17] |  | Labour | 1 Apr 1974 | Nov 1975
Bernard Coyle[18][19][20] |  | Labour | Jan 1976 | May 1991
Peter Smith[21][22] |  | Labour | May 1991 | May 2018
David Molyneux[23] |  | Labour | 23 May 2018 |

### Composition

[edit]

Following the 2024 election,[24] and subsequent changes of allegiance and the passing of a councillor the composition of the council was:[25]

Party  | Councillors

|

| Labour | 62
| Conservative | 1
| Independent | 10
Total  | 75

Six of the independent councillors (four of whom are supported by the Independent Network) sit together as the "Community Independent Alliance" group, another four form the "Independent Together" group, and the other does not form part of a group.[26] The next election is due in May 2026.[25]

## Elections

[edit]

See also: Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023, the council has comprised 75 councillors representing 25 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office.[27]

## Wards and councillors

[edit]

The councillors as at August 2025 were:[28]

Ward | Party | Councillor | Offices

|
|
|

Abram |  | Labour Co-op | Nazia Rehman | Portfolio Holder for Finance, Resources & Transformation
| Labour | Eunice Smethurst | Chairman - Confident Council Scrutiny Committee
| Labour Co-op | Martyn Smethurst | Lead Member - Armed Forces & Veterans
Ashton-in-Makerfield South |  | Labour | Andrew Bullen |
| Labour | Jenny Bullen | Portfolio Holder for Children and Families / Deputy Mayor
| Labour | Danny Fletcher | Lead Member - Leisure & Public Health
Aspull, New Springs and Whelley |  | Labour | Ronald Josef Conway | Chair of the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee
| Labour | Laura Flynn | Lead Member - Youth Opportunities
| Labour | Christopher Ready | Portfolio Holder - Communities & Neighbourhoods
Astley |  | Labour | Christine Lillian Roberts |
| Labour | Barry John Taylor | Vice-Chair of the Confident Places Scrutiny Committee
| Labour | Paula Wakefield | Lead Member for Equalities and Domestic Abuse
Atherton North  |  | Independent Network | Stuart Andrew Gerrard |
| Independent Network | Jamie Hodgkinson |
| Independent Network | James Paul Watson | Leader of the opposition
Atherton South and Lilford  |  | Labour | John Harding | Vice Chair of Planning Committee
| Labour | Lee McStein |
| Labour | Debra Susan Ann Wailes |
Bryn with Ashton-in-Makerfield North  |  | Independent | Steve Jones |
| Independent | Scarlett Myler |
| Independent | Sylvia Wilkinson |
Douglas |  | Labour | Mary Callaghan | Vice-Chair of the Confident Council Scrutiny Committee
| Labour | Matt Dawber |
| Independent | Pat Draper |
Golborne and Lowton West |  | Labour | Susan Gambles | Portfolio Holder for Housing and Welfare
| Labour | Yvonne Klieve | Lead Member - District Centres and Night Time Economy
| Labour | Gena Merrett | Vice-Chair of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee
Hindley |  | Labour | Paul John Blay | Vice-Chair of the Licensing and Regulation Committee
| Labour | Jim Churton |
| Labour | James Talbot |
Hindley Green |  | Independent | Bob Brierley |
| Labour | James Palmer |
| Labour | John Melville Vickers |
Ince |  | Labour | David Trevor Molyneux | Executive Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economic Development
| Independent | Maureen O'Bern |
| Independent | Tony Whyte |
Leigh Central and Higher Folds  |  | Labour | Keith Cunliffe | Deputy Leader Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care
| Labour | Shelley Guest |
| Labour | Fredrick Bown Walker |
Leigh South |  | Labour Co-op | Kevin Anderson | Chair of Licensing and Regulation Committees
| Labour Co-op | Charles Rigby | Chair of Audit, Governance and Standards Committee
| Labour | Barbara Caren |
Leigh West |  | Labour | Dane Anderton | Portfolio Holder for Police, Crime and Civil Contingencies
| Labour | Samantha Brown |
| Labour | Susan June Greensmith |
Lowton East |  | Labour | Jenny Gregory |
| Labour | Garry Lloyd |
| Labour | Mike Smith |
Orrell |  | Labour | Anne Collins |
| Labour | Jim Nicholson |
| Labour | Mark Tebbutt |
Pemberton |  | Labour | Jeanette Prescott |
| Labour | Paul Prescott | Portfolio Holder for Planning, Environmental Services and Transport
| Labour | Eileen Winifred Rigby |
Shevington with Lower Ground and Moor |  | Labour | Paul Anthony Collins |
| Labour | Michael John Crosby |
| Labour | Vicky Galligan |
Standish with Langtree |  | Labour | Terry Mugan |
| Labour | Debbie Parkinson | Mayor
| Conservative | Raymond Whittingham | Leader of the Conservatives in wigan council
Tyldesley and Mosley Common  |  | Labour | Jess Eastoe | Vice-Chair of Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee
| Independent Network | James Fish |
| Labour | Joanne Marshall | Lead Member for Greener Wigan
Wigan Central |  | Labour | Vacant |
| Labour | Lawrence Hunt | Lead Member for Heritage and Building Conservation
| Labour | Michael McLoughlin |
Wigan West |  | Labour | Phyllis Cullen |
| Labour | Sheila Ramsdale |
| Labour Co-op | David Wood |
Winstanley |  | Labour Co-op | Paul Terence Kenny | Chair of the Planning Committee
| Labour | Clive William Morgan | Chair of Confident Places and Environment Scrutiny Committee
| Labour | Marie Morgan |
Worsley Mesnes |  | Labour | David Hurst |
| Labour | Paul Molyneux | Vice-Chair of Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee
| Labour | Helen O’Neill |

## Premises

[edit]

The council meets at Wigan Town Hall on Library Street, which had been built in 1903 as the Wigan Mining and Technical College.[29] After the college moved to new premises, the building was converted into a town hall in 1990 to replace the Old Town Hall on King Street.[30]

Wigan Life Centre, The Wiend, Wigan, WN1 1NH: Council's main offices

The council's main offices are at the Wigan Life Centre on The Wiend, a modern building completed in 2012 behind the retained façade of the former Municipal Buildings facing Hewlett Street and Library Street. The building also incorporates the town's library.[31][32]

Municipal Buildings, Hewlett Street: Retained façade of 1900 building, with Wigan Life Centre behind Wigan Civic Centre, Millgate: Council's main offices 1970–2018

The old Wigan Borough Council had held its meetings at the Old Town Hall on King Street, which had been built as a courthouse in 1867 and had become the council's headquarters in 1882. By the 1950s the council had moved its main offices to the Municipal Buildings, being a converted row of shops and offices at the corner of Hewlett Street and Library Street, which had been built in 1900.[33] Meetings continued to be held at the Old Town Hall until the new Town Hall opened in 1990. The offices were supplemented by the construction of the Civic Centre on Millgate in 1970. After the council consolidated its offices at the Wigan Life Centre and Town Hall, the Civic Centre closed in 2018.[34]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Council minutes, 21 May 2025". Wigan Council. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
2. ^ Graham, Charles (22 May 2025). "Former teacher sworn in as new Wigan mayor". Wigan Today. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
3. ^ Clarke, Gaynor (15 June 2024). "Wigan Council's chief executive 'delighted' to receive OBE in King's birthday honours list". Wigan Today. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
4. ^ A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4. London: Victoria County History. 1911. pp. 68–78. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
5. ^ "Wigan Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
6. ^ "Local Government Act 1972: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70 (sch. 1), retrieved 30 May 2024
7. ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
8. ^ "Find your local council". gov.uk. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
9. ^ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 5 April 2024
10. ^ "The Greater Manchester Combined Authority Order 2011", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2011/908, retrieved 30 May 2024
11. ^ "Understand how your council works". gov.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
12. ^ "GMCA Members". Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
13. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
14. ^ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Wigan" in search box to see specific results.)
15. ^ "Wigan". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
16. ^ Jackson, Norman (30 October 1973). "Leading the way". Manchester Evening News. p. 13. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
17. ^ "Council leader dies in hospital". Bolton News. 24 November 1975. p. 11. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
18. ^ "Council to slash £1m from estimates". Bolton News. 23 January 1976. p. 5. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
19. ^ Shryhane, Geoffrey (10 May 1991). "Mr Wigan stepping down". Wigan Observer. p. 1. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
20. ^ "Mayor Coyle!". Wigan Observer. 31 January 1995. p. 20. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
21. ^ "New Metro leader pays tribute". Wigan Observer. 17 May 1991. p. 5. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
22. ^ Massey, Dane (11 May 2018). "Lord Peter Smith quits: Greater Manchester's longest-serving council leader stands down after 27 years". Mancunian Matters. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
23. ^ "Council minutes, 23 May 2018". Wigan Council. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
24. ^ "Local elections 2024: full mayoral and council results for England". The Guardian. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
25. ^ a b "Wigan". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
26. ^ "Your councillors by political grouping". Wigan Council. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
27. ^ "The Wigan (Electoral Changes) Order 2022", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2019/1372, retrieved 4 June 2024
28. ^ "Your Councillors by Ward". Wigan Council. 9 May 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
29. ^ Historic England. "Town Hall (formerly Wigan and District Mining and Technical College) and railings (Grade II) (1384483)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
30. ^ "Mayors Handbook". Wigan Council. Archived from the original on 6 June 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
31. ^ "Wigan Life Centre". Wigan Council. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
32. ^ "Morgan Sindall completes £50m Wigan Life Centre". The Business Desk. 27 January 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
33. ^ Historic England. "Municipal Buildings, Hewlett Street (Grade II) (1384469)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
34. ^ Dunton, Jim (8 February 2024). "Shedkm cleared to turn brutalist former council HQ into start-up space". Building Design. Retrieved 5 June 2024.

## External links

[edit]

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