Ballot would be fair way to judge Atherton people's feelings over town council (From Leigh Journal)

Ballot would be fair way to judge Atherton people's feelings over town council

5:10pm Monday 4th March 2013 in News

A SUMMER ballot would be the fairest way of finding out if Atherton people want their own town council say petitioners.

Atherton Independent (Win) Councillors met Wigan MBC officers to hand over their petition for a community governance review, and to fine tune the areas which would covered by a new Atherton Town Council.

Councillors said the community's preferred method of consultation, would be to give every resident on the electoral register their own ballot paper to respond to the consultation.

The Community Governance Review has to be undertaken, and a decision made by Wigan MBC by February 2014, whether or not to allow Atherton to have its own town council.

Clr Norman Bradbury said: “I urge the vast majority of residents in Atherton who support the bid for their own town vouncil to vote 'Yes'.

"It may be last chance we’ll get for years to make a real difference as to how our community is governed. We don’t want to give Lord Peter Smith any reason to refuse us this time, so please use your vote when the time comes."