The move has been blamed on Labour bailing out the bankers, whilst local councils feel the heat.

Funding for Bolton’s NHS has been slashed meaning there are insufficient funds.

Julia Silvester, who has a wealth of experience in health issues, said: “This is a step backwards for all of those residents who were eager to see a new health facility for our community.”

Julia has blasted Labour’s town hall chiefs for their mismanagement of bin collections in Bolton. They changed the system, which left thousands of people without a bin collection for WEEKS.

The fiasco worsened when snowy and icy conditions swept across the area, crippling bin collections completely.

Julia said: “It has just been a farce. To make matters worse the country was running out of grit so out roads became so dangerous that bin lorries could not pass along them.”

A 100 tonnes of Bolton’s salt was given to Bury, leaving a shortage here. Lib Dems have called for a review to make sure that this never happens again.

A series of open evenings aimed at sharing the borough’s plans for Building Schools for the Future will commence this week.

Each school in Phase One of the BSF Programme will show their plans to students, parents and the wider community during a 90 minute drop-in session. Members of the community are encouraged to attend as this is their opportunity to help shape plans to improve leisure, sport and adult learning facilities in their local area through this investment into schools.

Westhoughton High School’s session will be on Tuesday, 9th March.

Each open evening runs from 7pm to 8.30pm and will provide parents and the community the opportunity to find out more and have their say on the ideas put forward by each school.

The open evenings follow a successful BSF design day held recently, which saw the pupils present their ideas to an audience of local authority representatives, other schools from Phase Two and Three and Balfour Beatty Education, the company selected to deliver the BSF Programme in Bolton.

The plans are still being developed and people are encouraged to register their views by March 31 at www.bolton.gov.uk/bsf

Image supplied by Ordnance Survey Election Maps Service. Image reproduced with the permission of Ordnance Survey. © Crown Copyright 2010

You have said it yourself, and you know it’s true – Westhoughton is forgotten.

Hundreds of residents from our hard-working community have got in touch with JULIA SILVESTER – the councillor fighting for a better deal for everyone who lives in Westhoughton South ward.

Councillor Julia Silvester

Julia conducted a survey of the community and the results are still flooding in.

Julia’s work is supported by fellow councillor David Wilkinson.

Locally-based Julia says that 2010 is the time for a real change if you are fed up with our area being treated second-rate.

Julia said: “This year is our chance to make a real difference. I know our area very well and I know the issues we are all facing together. I want to do something about it.” But Julia and David are not alone in their fight for our area.

They are joined by JACKIE PEARCEY who wants to represent you in Parliament. She’s tired of greedy MPs and fed up with Labour backing bankers and not the people.

Jackie said: “This year will be crucial. If you really want to boot Labour out of their cushy halls of power for good, then a vote for the Lib Dems is needed.”

“The Lib Dems are the only party to make such a strong commitment to wiping out the dirty politics we have all seen before our eyes.”

Jackie Pearcey is our Parliamentary Candidate for Bolton West.

Refuse collectors will be taking waste next Monday (11th January) from Bolton Road car park, La Scala car park and the Grey Man car park in order to ease the pressure on householders after the collection vehicles were unable to do their normal rounds.

The three sites will only, however, be open from 8am until 12noon – which has been blasted by Councillor David Wilkinson, who represents Westhoughton South.

Cllr Wilkinson said: “This is simply not good enough. These are very limited times, when many residents will be at work. I will be pressing the Labour council to ensure that all surplus rubbish is picked up, and not just left uncollected like it has been on many streets.”

“Whilst I support the council’s emergency plan, it needs to be extended. I am also worried about less able residents such as the elderly or disabled. How are they to be expected to get rid of their waste?”

For full details on the emergency service see our original article, here.

It comes as bin lorries are unable to safely get around Westhoughton’s streets and so bin collections next Monday have been cancelled.

The announcement comes quickly after Westhoughton South ward councillor David Wilkinson asked the council to consider setting up emergency drop off points to help out his residents, many of whom are struggling to cope in the snow and have bigger and bigger piles of rubbish.

The council’s contingency plan means that residents who are mobile and able to transport their excess waste will be able to hand over their waste to a parked refuse collection vehicle which is crewed up with staff from the service.

Westhoughton’s emergency collection points next Monday will be:

- Bolton Road car park

- La Scala car park, Wingates

- Grey Man pub car park, Hindley Road

Click Zone 1 Household Waste Drop Off Points to view the full list of drop off points along with a map (supplied by Bolton Council).

Residents are advised to continue checking this website for further updates throughout the week. If you have any particular concerns you can contact our team by e-mailing us at focus@westhoughton-libdems.org.uk.

Parliamentary Candidate Jackie Pearcey with Lib Dem campaigner Derek Gradwell at Fell Foot Meadow in 2009

Work has started on a promised play area for the Summerfields Estate .

Housing developers Barratts and Wimpey had agreed to build a joint play area as part of the development of Madison Park and Fell Foot Meadow.

However, the site was not usable as Wimpey had left their site completely flat, and Barratt had left a considerable amount of material piled up, and grass over.

This led to an 18-month delay before any work really started.

The Liberal Democrat team had to push Bolton’s Labour-run Council before the developers moved out of the area completely.

Westhoughton North campaigner Derek Gradwell said: “It has been a long struggle to get the council to take action against the developers, but finally now we are seeing some progress.”

Derek’s team is continuing to lobby the council to get them to push developers into completing the play area and open space, including the landscaping.

New Year fireworks

Whether you were a New Year party reveller or had an early night, Westhoughton residents have seen it through to 2010.

Westhoughton Liberal Democrats would like to wish everyone in the town a heartfelt ‘Happy New Year’… here’s to hoping 2010 will be a prosperous year.

Councillor David Wilkinson, who represents Westhoughton South ward alongside Cllr Julia Silvester, has posted his New Year message on his blog, here.

As ever, our team is on hand to help you through 2010. If you have something you’d like to bring to our attention please feel free to complete our online contact form here, e-mail us at focus@westhoughton-libdems.org.uk, call us on (01942) 819456, or write to us at Westhoughton Liberal Democrats, 12 The Crescent, Westhoughton, Bolton, BL5 2AE.

We look forward to representing you once again in 2010.

Parochial... 200-years of history

A debate has started has to whether to Westhoughton’s Parochial Primary School should change its name as part of modernisation plans.

The school’s headmaster, Gareth Robertshaw, has announced radical plans to change the 200-year old school name to St Bartholomew’s CE Primary School. They say that the word ‘parochial’ means narrow-minded – and it is too hard to spell.

Students of by-gone years have questioned the decision, saying that the word ‘parochial’ also means ‘pertaining to a parish’, highlighting its link to the town’s church. But the school says that changing the name will create greater links with the church.

One former student of the school told us: “People who went to the Parochial knew it as a good place, with good teachers, and changing the name will do nothing but lose 200 years of history. If the headteacher wants to modernise he can do this in other ways, but they should leave the name alone.”

Angered former students have submitted their objections to Mr Robertshaw, and the school’s governors. A recent poll on this website also showed that more people objected to the proposals than were in favour.

Westhoughton South ward councillor David Wilkinson, who was actively involved with the school for many years as a governor, said: “Changing the name of the school is merely cosmetic. The real change must come through good quality teaching, effective leadership, and modernising the school facilities. It would be a shame not to see the Parochial’s name live on through the next 200 years.”

The school’s position was defended by Adam Seddon, who said: “The school was founded by the church, funded for many years by the church and more recently heavily funded by the St Bartholomew’s for the re-development of the class rooms. The name change is about bringing the name of the school in line with the other CofE schools in Westhoughton.”

The Parochial was in “special” measures until a recent Ofsted report said the school was now “good” again.

You can submit your own views by e-mailing Gareth Robertshaw at RobertshawG@westp.bolton.sch.uk or write to Gareth Robertshaw, Head Teacher, Westhoughton Parochial CE Primary School, The Fairways, Westhoughton, Bolton, BL5 3NZ.

You can also submit your comments using the form below.

For those wishing to object, you can sign this petition (below):

A LIDL store

LIDL will be opening Thursday, 3rd December, we can reveal.

The national chain will open their first Westhoughton store at the Wigan Road / Cricketers Way junction, off The Fairways.

It is being closely followed by Sainsburys, who will be opening in February 2010.