Horwich and Blackrod 'priorities' set out at Bolton Council

This comes after the Horwich and Blackrod First Independents agreed to support Labour leader Cllr Nick Peel in retaining the leadership of the council last week following the local elections.

Party leader Cllr David Grant says that this had been their only option and in return he hopes to secure improvements including improved CCTV at Station Park and lighting on Hampson Street.

Cllr Grant said: “Ultimately, the townships of Horwich and Blackrod are years behind so for us it was better to work with the council leadership and council officers and to make sure that Horwich and Blackrod progress.

“We are happy to work with the administration, as we did when the Conservatives were in power.

No party currently has an overall majority at Bolton Council (Image: Newsquest)

“We are always going to be in opposition, we are never going to have 31 councillors, so it makes sense to work with the administration.”

After the last council election, the ruling Labour Group was left with 26 councillors, two fewer than they had had previously and five short of an overall majority.

This left them in need of other parties’ support in order to go on leading the council.

At the council’s annual general meeting on Wednesday May 22 the Labour group, Horwich and Blackrod First Independents and independent Cllr Ayub Patel all supported Cllr Peel.

Cllr Grant’s party, which holds all six council seats across Horwich and Blackrod, has now published a list of priorities he says were agreed with Labour.

These include public consultations on three major schemes on Winter Hill Lane including a one-way system, pedestrianisation at the top of the road and a multi-storey car park.

They also include improved drainage and CCTV at Station Park, and a possible filter lane at the junction of Chorley New Road and Winter Hey Lane.

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Cllr Grant's party colleague Cllr Ryan Bamforth, of Horwich North, had publicly called for this filter lane earlier in May, suggesting it could be funded from the pot side aside for Horwich town centre regeneration. 

The priorities also include both short term requests like the revamping of pocket parks and long term aspirations like creating a new sports village at Horwich Loco Works.

Cllr Grant said: “A lot of it is based around getting the town centre, the main scheme, completed.

“So once that is done, its down to how much is left of the £4M and looking at things like that skate park that can be improved.”

Cllr Peel has said he hopes to work with the smaller party in making these things possible.

He said: “There are some things that are aspirational and there are some that we are carrying over from before the election as well.”

He added: “My message as leader of the council and as leader of the Labour group is that we look after the whole of the borough, not just the areas where we have elected councillors and we are happy to work with HBFI on this.”