Councillor David Wilkinson outside Daisy Hill railway station

The timetable for the new Sunday service from Daisy Hill has been unveiled.

The service will run from Wigan to Manchester. It starts in May and is expected to run as a 12-month trial.

Westhoughton councillor David Wilkinson, who sits on Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority (GMITA), supported the decision.

Cllr Wilkinson said: “I fully support this new service and I hope that Westhoughton residents will get behind the trial and make it a success.”

You can download the full timetable in PDF format by clicking here.

It follows an announcement by Labour chiefs at Bolton Town Hall that the road is not a priority and will not be resurfaced.

Councillor Julia Silvester and the Liberal Democrat team have been battling for the road to be repaired before it gets even worse.

Julia said: “I have been a strong campaigner for improving the neglected roads in Westhoughton, and Allenby Grove is no exception.”

Fellow councillor David Wilkinson added: “We visit Allenby Grove just last week and we can already see that it has deteriorated once again.”

Julia’s team has asked the council to reconsider its original verdict for a second time.

Since our last Focus some residents have been in touch to say how much they appreciate our efforts.

Julia said: “I know it must be very frustrating for residents when they see the council just doesn’t care about their road.”

“But they are not alone. We recently uncovered a £50million backlog of repairs across the borough.”

The massive waiting list is blamed on Labour’s neglect of our roads and footpaths.

It was only the Liberal Democrat team who wanted to invest extra money into repair work.

Tory councillors refused to support the idea, because it was suggested by the Lib Dems.

We will keep you informed.

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.

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.

Cllr David Wilkinson outside Daisy Hill railway station

A new trial Sunday service is to be launched on the line that runs through Daisy Hill railway station.

The proposed service, operated by Northern Rail, would run hourly during the day on Sundays, with the last train departing from Manchester shortly after 6pm. Trains will run between Wigan Wallgate and Manchester Victoria, via Atherton and Walkden. It will be funded by the Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority (ITA) for a year before being reviewed.

The service is something Westhoughton South ward councillor David Wilkinson has been campaigning on for a number of years.

Cllr Wilkinson, who sits on the ITA, said: “This is fantastic news and it has received my full support. Now we need everyone to throw their support behind the trial and use it to its full potential.”

“Residents will now have the opportunity to enjoy Sunday rail travel. This will bring to an end an anomaly in that the Daisy Hill line is currently the only line in Greater Manchester without a Sunday service.”

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):

The dangerous bend at the Wigan Road and Southfield Drive junction

Liberal Democrat councillors are calling for safety improvements to be made to Wigan Road.

Councillors Julia Silvester and David Wilkinson are both pressuring the council.

Julia said: “Residents have often complained to us about how dangerous the road is for motorists and pedestrians alike.”

An improvement scheme for Wigan Road from Wearish Lane to Cricketers Way has been set up but will need to be consulted upon first.

We are calling for:

- Improved crossing facilities at the Wearish Lane junction;

- Refuges to assist pedestrians crossing near Dobb Brow;

- A crossing at the junction with Broadwalk and Coverdale Road

- Traffic lights on the bend at the Southfield Drive junction.

Councillor Julia Silvester at the Wearish Lane junction

The council have informed us that they would be willing to put in a new right turn lane for people entering Southfield Drive as well as a refuge island for pedestrians.

But they refused Lib Dem calls for traffic lights because the accident rate is too low.

Cllr Wilkinson said: “It seems you have to have a serious accident or be killed before they will consider traffic lights.”

Lib Dems made similar calls for traffic lights at the Leigh Road and Washacre junction many years ago. After persisting, the council finally agreed to the lights, which were eventually installed at the danger spot.

Julia Silvester’s Liberal Democrat team has already had a number of road safety improvements made along Wigan Road at Hart Common including pedestrian islands.

We will keep you informed of progress with the plans through this website.

The sign is so high up that it would be of little use to a person with visual impairments

The council has put up a new sign on Westhoughton’s library that is so far up that it is hard to read – in a bid to follow the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

A second sign that directs people to the library has been placed directly under the existing sign, causing passers-by to think they are seeing double.

Local councillor David Wilkinson has slammed the decision as a waste of money. He said: “The new sign is so far up the wall with such small print that its begs the question as to how a person with a visual impairment would read this?”

“The signs are barmy and now the council is ruling that they need them because of the DDA, when really it looks like a case of they want their corporate brand image plastered everywhere they can get it.”

The sign is high up on the wall, the print is too small, it has been printed with a white background, and it displays other corporate information on there (making it less easy to read), which means it is highly unsuitable for a person with sight problems to be able to read it.

Just look at the sign that points to the library – below the old sign that did the same thing (but better):

Seeing double? You are now!

Councillor Julia Silvester, who represents Westhoughton South ward, said: “It is unclear why we need to have two signs here when the old, traditional sign did the job just fine.”

A council spokesperson told us: “These signs are part of a corporate roll out of signage for DDA purposes and have been paid for from central resources.”

But Cllr Wilkinson added: “It doesn’t matter which coffers the money came from – it still came from the taxpayer in the long-run and these signs are nothing but a waste of our money, which could be better spent elsewhere.”

This website encourages viewers to leave their own comments below.

Has your bin been emptied?

Labour chiefs faced a grilling by angry residents and binmen as the bins fiasco rumbled on.

Top man Councillor Cliff Morris – Leader  of the Council – and Cllr Sufrana Bashir-Ismail, his Executive Member for Cleaner, Greener, Safer were sat on a panel organised by The Bolton News, where residents were invited along to ask the difficult questions.

It comes as residents across Westhoughton have not had their bins emptied over the past six weeks, and there is little sign of improvement. An internet poll on this website found that 71% of people said they were fed up with the currently problems.

It has been a deeply embarrassing few weeks for the Labour party in Bolton, and it all came to a head when the meeting was convened this week. Even the binmen spoke up – one even challenging the panel members to come and do his job for a week, promising to give a day’s wage to charity if they could complete the job successfully.

Cllr Bashir-Ismail was heckled noisily by the audience when she claimed the meeting was becoming ‘political’.

Westhoughton South ward councillor David Wilkinson said: “The most simple of question on everyone’s lips has become the most difficult question for Labour’s bosses. Everyone in Westhoughton is asking me, ‘When is my bin going to be emptied?’ and they just can’t give a straight answer.”

“We have been inundated with frustrated people who have been left without a bin collection for weeks. We are continuing to pressure the Labour-run council for answers, and above all, some action,” he added.

At the Council Meeting on 21st October Liberal Democrat Councillors strongly criticised the chaotic situation around bin collections and the many bins that are missed each week. We asked a number of critical questions of the Executive Member responsible for the service (Councillor Sulfrana Bashir-Ismail).

The questions we asked covered:

• Did the Executive Member stand by her decision to implement the changes to the bin collections, and would she give her full and public support?
• Did the Executive Member agree that the current failure to collect grey bins for several weeks at a time was a breach of Labour’s election promise?
• Could the Executive Member confirm whether there was now a policy not to issue green bins to terraced houses (even those with small gerdens back and front) and if so, was there any intention to remove green bins from those properties?
• What actions were being taken to ensure that refuse crews knew the location of bins where there should be an ‘assisted collection’ and to ensure that bins were returned to the correct position afetr emptying?
• What was the cost of additional crews, additional journeys and other measures to remedy mistakes of non collection of bins?
• Would there be any help for the ‘hard to reach’ areas of the Borough where there is no recycling available, and missed bins can cause additional problems?
• Has there been any change to the service standard where missed bins should be collected within 3 working days?

Apart from confirming that no policies had changed, we got little in the way of answers.

It was to be expected that Labour Councillors would not wish to raise questions publicly about probably the worst current problem in provision of services. What was surprising was that the Conservatives also were totally silent.

We later moved an amendment “That the Executive Member be urged to take a higher public profile in support of her policy and the officers that are carrying out that policy”. Most Conservatives supported that, but it was defeated because they were again split – several Conservatives voting with Labour and others abstaining.