ATHERTON Town Hall has opened its doors to residents after a £1m refurbishment.

The Bolton Road building has been transformed so a range of services can be put under one roof including being the new home for Atherton Library.

The opening was delayed after an incident at the old library building on York Street on Friday, October 26 when two Wigan Council workers and a contractor were stabbed.

A 38-year-old man was later detailed under the Mental Health Act.

Cllr Nazia Rehman, cabinet member for resources, finance and transformation at the council, said: “We are extremely thankful that our staff and our contractor colleague are out of hospital and are recovering from this terrible incident.

“We are continuing to support all staff who were involved or witnessed the attack.”

As well library facilities, which will have a dedicated space for children, there will be a life centre service.

This will allow residents to speak to advisors about queries regarding benefits, council tax, housing and welfare support.

The welfare rights team will hold a surgery every Tuesday from 9am to 11am.

A dementia-friendly tea room, called Memories tea room, which is being run by a community group, will offer a range of refreshments and afternoon tea.

Community rooms are also available for groups and organisations for meetings.

Anyone wanting to improve their IT skills can go to the site’s “Be Online” session every Wednesday from 10:30am until noon.

Cllr Rehman added: “Atherton Town Hall is an improved offer for the community and will mean residents can easily access a whole range of local services under one roof. It is a great investment for the area.

“Creating this hub shows our commitment to work with the community to deliver the services that are needed by residents and their families.

“I would really encourage local residents to visit Atherton Town Hall and discover the new services on offer.”

The local authority are also inviting groups interested in taking over the former library on York Street to a meeting on December 3 between 10am and 3pm.

It will give people the chance to find out about how community asset transfers work and the condition of the building.

Anyone interested in going can register their attendance by emailing cl m@wigan.gov.uk or contact 01942 486909.

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