THE chair of the local Labour party has announced his candidacy to become the Parliamentary candidate for Leigh.

With a family history of workers in the pits and the mills, Dane Anderton said he has a "great affinity" for his hometown and that being the representative in Westminster would be his "absolute privilege".

The Leigh West councillor and University of Liverpool lecturer is currently one of four people longlisted to become the next Labour party candidate in Leigh, which will be decided by local party members next month.

Fighting against former Leigh MP Jo Platt, Nazia Rehman, and James Wright, the successful candidate will challenge the Conservative party for the seat in Parliament at the next general election.

Leigh Journal: Dane (right) with other Labour councillors in 2021 (Credit: Local Democracy Reporting Service)Dane (right) with other Labour councillors in 2021 (Credit: Local Democracy Reporting Service)

Speaking about his decision to run for the candidacy, Mr Anderton said: "I'm fed up of poor representation in Leigh and being a second-thought at Westminster.

"I want us to move on from mistakes made in the past, reset the role of an MP to fully represent the people and fight for a better deal for this town."

Part of this "better deal", Dane states, will be to reform the national planning system so that regeneration projects like those planned in Leigh town centre are put into the hands of local people.

By "fully engaging" with the community on issues such as this, Dane says this will "tip the balance of influence back into the hands of local residents" and ensure that decisions and improvements are made by those living or working in the area.

Improving housing standards, reversing the social care cap and fighting for better NHS medical and dental provisions are other pledges that Dane says he will work towards.

Leigh Journal: Dane is a councillor for Leigh West and the Chair of the local Labour PartyDane is a councillor for Leigh West and the Chair of the local Labour Party (Image: Wigan Council)

He added: "Through my experience as a Councillor and working across every ward in Leigh, these are the issues that I have picked up on the doorstep and online.

"I want to fight for a better deal for Leigh, improve these problems and get what residents deserve.

"I'm born and bred in the borough and want to use my experiences and knowledge to give back to the place where I'm from, and all my family are from.

"It would be my absolute privilege to represent Leigh and fight for my hometown in Westminster."