Practical proposed steps for Wigan.
The stages explain what should happen first. They are not promised completion dates. Funding, powers and ongoing costs need to be established before a proposal is adopted.
Proposal
Use Leigh’s renewed square beyond special events
The square has completed physical improvements.
Proposed response: Publish arrangements for community use and accessible routes.
Evidence
Who could lead: Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council.
- Start now
Publish arrangements for community use and accessible routes.
- Over the next few years
Coordinate small events with surrounding traders.
- Over the longer term
Track everyday use and maintenance.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Leigh Civic Square renewal: Works completed; unveiling announced.
Measure: Non-event use, local bookings and repair response.
Trade-off: A busy programme must leave quiet space available.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Leigh Civic Square renewal →
Proposal
Leigh Market still needs building work
The council identifies a future market refurbishment.
Proposed response: Explain the repairs and trader arrangements.
Evidence
Who could lead: Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council.
- Start now
Explain the repairs and trader arrangements.
- Over the next few years
Keep trading access clear during phased works.
- Over the longer term
Review stall occupancy and shopper access afterwards.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Leigh Market refurbishment: Planned refurbishment; not complete.
Measure: Repairs completed and traders retained.
Trade-off: Temporary relocation can disrupt established customer habits.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Leigh Market refurbishment →
Proposal
Give Wigan’s centre more reasons for repeat visits
Fettlers combines several uses on the former Galleries site.
Proposed response: Publish the confirmed mix and phase dates.
Evidence
Who could lead: Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council.
- Start now
Publish the confirmed mix and phase dates.
- Over the next few years
Connect occupied phases to shops and public transport.
- Over the longer term
Measure sustained use rather than launch-day visitors.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Fettlers at the former Galleries: Regeneration programme; individual completion stages not verified.
Measure: Homes occupied and work and leisure spaces in use.
Trade-off: Different uses need compatible servicing and noise management.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Fettlers at the former Galleries →
Proposal
Maintain local trade while major sites change
Both market refurbishment and the Galleries redevelopment can change access during works. This is a delivery risk to manage.
Proposed response: Agree clear business access and signage.
Evidence 1 · Evidence 2
Who could lead: Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council.
- Start now
Agree clear business access and signage.
- Over the next few years
Publish disruption and compensation or support routes where available.
- Over the longer term
Check business survival and vacancies after each phase.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Leigh Market refurbishment: Planned refurbishment; not complete; Fettlers at the former Galleries: Regeneration programme; individual completion stages not verified.
Measure: Access maintained, trader retention and vacancies.
Trade-off: Construction convenience must be balanced against normal trading.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Leigh Market refurbishment →
Fettlers at the former Galleries →
Proposal
Make room for homes people can afford
Average private rent is £746 a month (August 2026) in Wigan council area. This is £713 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 6.4% in Winstanley to 28.9% in Leigh Central & Higher Folds — a gap of 22.5 percentage points.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
Who could lead: The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers.
- Start now
Publish the local waiting list, temporary accommodation and affordable-home delivery figures together. Start by checking the different needs in Leigh Central & Higher Folds and Winstanley; census differences are not proof of unmet demand.
- Over the next few years
Test proposed housing sites against affordable-home need, access to work, school places and water capacity.
- Over the longer term
Check whether completed homes reduce unmet need, rather than counting planning permissions as delivery.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Average private rent is £746 a month (August 2026) in Wigan council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 6.4% in Winstanley to 28.9% in Leigh Central & Higher Folds — a gap of 22.5 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 25 of 25 current wards have comparable figures.
Measure: Affordable homes completed, households waiting, time in temporary accommodation, and rent compared with local earnings.
Trade-off: More homes can put pressure on infrastructure and land. Affordability requirements also affect development viability.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: Average monthly rent →
Evidence: Average home price →
Fettlers at the former Galleries →
Proposal
Plan homes and care around an older population
19.3% of people in Wigan council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 13.5% in Ince to 25.5% in Shevington with Lower Ground & Moor — a gap of 12 percentage points.
Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.
Who could lead: Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities.
- Start now
Compare the location of older residents with access to care, shops and transport. Start by checking the different needs in Shevington with Lower Ground & Moor and Ince; census differences are not proof of unmet demand.
- Over the next few years
Prioritise home adaptations and care capacity in places with the clearest unmet need.
- Over the longer term
Build accessible homes and joined-up care into local development plans.
How to judge progress
Starting point: 19.3% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 13.5% in Ince to 25.5% in Shevington with Lower Ground & Moor — a gap of 12 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 25 of 25 current wards have comparable figures.
Measure: Waits for home adaptations and care, avoidable hospital stays, and accessible homes delivered.
Trade-off: Services need skilled staff and ongoing funding. Age profiles alone cannot measure unmet care need.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: People aged 65 or over →
Proposal
Bring support closer to people in poor health
6.2% of people reported bad or very bad health in Wigan council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.8% in Winstanley to 8.7% in Leigh West — a gap of 4.9 percentage points.
This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.
Who could lead: Local health services, public health teams, employers and community organisations.
- Start now
Use neighbourhood evidence to find where poor health and barriers to services overlap. Start by checking the different needs in Leigh West and Winstanley; census differences are not proof of unmet demand.
- Over the next few years
Test accessible local support and publish who is reached and who is missed.
- Over the longer term
Review whether health gaps narrow, alongside housing and employment improvements.
How to judge progress
Starting point: 6.2% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.8% in Winstanley to 8.7% in Leigh West — a gap of 4.9 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 25 of 25 current wards have comparable figures.
Measure: Access to services and the health gap between neighbourhoods, using comparable age-adjusted measures when available.
Trade-off: A census snapshot is dated. New service decisions also need current needs assessments and residents’ experience.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: People reporting bad or very bad health →
Proposal
Connect local skills to local opportunities
25.8% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Wigan council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 13.8% in Standish with Langtree to 28.8% in Ince — a gap of 15 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
Who could lead: Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority.
- Start now
Compare vacancies and employer needs with training available to local residents. Start by checking the different needs in Ince and Standish with Langtree; census differences are not proof of unmet demand.
- Over the next few years
Link training to real jobs, including routes for people without formal qualifications.
- Over the longer term
Track sustained employment and earnings after training, not just course starts.
How to judge progress
Starting point: 25.8% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 13.8% in Standish with Langtree to 28.8% in Ince — a gap of 15 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 25 of 25 current wards have comparable figures.
Measure: Sustained jobs, earnings and training completion for residents who face barriers to work.
Trade-off: Training takes time and cannot create demand for jobs on its own. Qualifications are not a complete measure of ability.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent →
Evidence: People aged 16+ with no qualifications →
Leigh Market refurbishment →
Fettlers at the former Galleries →
Proposal
Turn published plans into visible progress
3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
Who could lead: The named project owners and council scrutiny bodies.
- Start now
Put the scope, owner, funding position and next milestone in one public place.
- Over the next few years
Report delivery against the agreed scope and explain delays or changes.
- Over the longer term
Check the benefits residents actually receive after completion.
How to judge progress
Starting point: The dated stages in Projects; unknown costs and funding remain unknown.
Measure: Milestones met, costs against the approved budget, and measured outcomes after delivery.
Trade-off: Delivery reporting takes staff time, but a launch announcement alone cannot show value for money.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Leigh Civic Square renewal →
Leigh Market refurbishment →
Fettlers at the former Galleries →
Proposal
Target support where disadvantages overlap
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 11.6% in Winstanley to 30.2% in Ince — a gap of 18.6 percentage points.
These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.
Who could lead: The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services.
- Start now
Check current advice and support access in Ince, using the census pattern as a starting point and asking residents what is missing.
- Over the next few years
Test joined-up housing, work and health support, and publish who takes part, who cannot reach it and what changes.
- Over the longer term
Track sustained outcomes and whether gaps between neighbourhoods narrow, using comparable dates and measures.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 11.6% in Winstanley to 30.2% in Ince — a gap of 18.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 25 of 25 wards.
Measure: Access to support, unresolved housing problems and sustained work or health outcomes. Census percentages alone cannot measure a new programme's success.
Trade-off: Targeting neighbourhoods can miss people in need elsewhere. Avoid labelling every resident by the average for their ward.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: Households facing two or more measured disadvantages →
Leigh Civic Square renewal →
Fettlers at the former Galleries →
