SWAN meets regularly: The next meeting is on:
The Fundraising sub-committee and events…
Westhoughton with Chew Moor Area Forum
Forum Agenda and Meetings are available from the Bolton Council website.
Details of which can be found Westhoughton with Chew Moor Forum [Bolton Council].
To access minutes, etc. for older Towns' Forum meetings 2007-08 | 2006-07.
Why are the Community Forums important?
Council committee meetings held in public on a regular basis. Such forums represent the interests of the locals inhabitants (some 60,000 live in the Westhoughton, Horwich & Blackrod area). Local issues, local concerns and government policy put under scrutiny during open discussion with political and governmental representatives.
Members of SWAN would attend these meetings to keep up to date with local issues, express our views, ask questions, push for public meetings where relevant e.g. on the proposed A5225* bypass, etc.
Such public forums are part of local democracry and ensure proper debate and lead to more transparent decision-making benefitting the local communities that the politicians and administrators actually serve.
*Note! Wigan Council's plans for A5225 shelved in February 2007 due to lack of funding for the project…
Police Surgeries & Drop-in Sessions in Westhoughton
Building Better Health For Bolton Consulation
Report: PLANS FOR A NEW HEALTH CLINIC IN WESTHOUGHTON
Bolton Primary Care Trust (PCT) is engaged in a plan to improve and develop its "estate" of health centres across Bolton, having concluded that the existing premises taken as a whole were of "poor functional quality" and inhibiting the expansion of community services. They have held a number of public consultation meetings including one recently at Westhoughton Masonic Hall (though some local residents complained that the meeting had not been well publicised).
Plans include the refurbishment of existing premises and the building of 10 brand new health centres at sites across Bolton, one of which will be in Westhoughton, though a site has not yet been identified. At 1000 square metres floor space, the proposed Westhoughton health centre will over three times the size of the existing clinic at the corner of Market and Church streets, and it is scheduled for completion in 2011. The general policy is where possible to locate premises in neighbourhoods of high social need.
It is intended that all Bolton health centres will provide a wide range of primary care services, including general practice, district nursing, gynaecology/maternity/midwifery, diabetes screening, paediatrics, physiotherapy and other services. We will endeavour to provide updated information on plans for Westhoughton as it becomes known.
The Planning and Highways Committee of Bolton Council meets to publicly discuss and vote on – approve or reject – Planning Applications twice a month. People get the opportunity to speak at these sessions.
SWAN will often be present at these meetings and air the views of the group.
New Planning Committee for 2008-09 comprises of 20 councillors - 9 Labour, 8 Conservative and 3 Lib Dems - two of whom are Westhoughton councillors - Pat Allen and David Wilkinson; Andrew Morgan, also on the Committee, is on Westhoughton Town Council.
You can now find out more about planning applications and decisions on the Planning Pages of the Bolton Metro website. You can contact the Planning Department on 01204 336000
www.swanonline.co.uk
