AN INDEPENDENT councillor is calling for Wigan Council to give Atherton £1 million to secure his vision of a town council.

Cllr Norman Bradbury says the move would help improve and maintain the town centre which he believes needs "urgent regeneration".

"My vision for the future of Atherton is that we should have our own town council with unpaid councillors who are doing it because they are passionate about their own communities, " said Cllr Bradbury of Hillside Avenue in Atherton.

"The town centre urgently needs regeneration, the public toilets are a disgrace, never cleaned and left to rot, the streets are neglected, dog fouling is out of control with only one dog warden in the borough, our parks and cemetery are neglected and civic buildings abandoned.

"This can only be addressed by a one off payment of £1 million to Atherton, from Wigan’s current reserves of over £90 million, which were only £17 million in 2011."

Cllr Bradbury has also called for Market Street to be reopened to traffic throughout the day, Atherton Library to have a permanent home, the Atherton crest used on all street signs and boundary notices and Atherton Central Station parking issues addressed.

Cllr Bradbury added: "I have insisted that the issue of Atherton Station parking is addressed again, and Transport for Greater Manchester will be undertaking a survey of parking in the area, to establish what can be done. The Library needs to have a permanent home in York Street , with improved opening hours to include weekends which could be funded by our Town Council.

"The rest of the municipal buildings need to be developed as a much needed skills centre, and home for our new Atherton Town Council.

"I also want our own Atherton crest used on council notices such as street name signs and boundary notices, not Wigan’s crest everywhere. We don’t want to be absorbed into a Greater Wigan, or even a Manchester City Region, we demand to have our own devolution to the grass roots, by having our own town council with our own money to spend."

Cllr David Molyneux, Deputy Leader for Wigan Council said: "Atherton has not been left to rot it is a major part of the borough and is treated as such.

"Cllr Bradbury has tried a number of times to call for a town council but I think he needs to be more understanding about what the town council would actually do for the people of Atherton.

"They would certainly be paying a higher precept and Atherton would still be part of Wigan planning and housing and education.

"On the bigger scale of things with devolution town councils may have even less power.

"Some of the proposals Cllr Bradbury is putting forward are not acceptable and I do not think that a town council would benefit the people of Atherton.

"They would be paying more but not getting all the powers that Cllr Bradbury is saying they would."