Supporting Wigan and Leigh residents to shape the future of their neighbourhoods
Wigan and Leigh Community Charity works alongside residents, community groups and local partners to strengthen community voice and participation across Wigan and Leigh.
As towns and neighbourhoods evolve, local people often want greater influence over the decisions that affect where they live. Building on its long history of community organising, neighbourhood planning and community asset development, the charity helps residents come together to identify priorities, develop ideas and shape local change.
Working with Humanity Project, Wigan and Leigh Community Charity is exploring how People's Assemblies and other participatory approaches can support more inclusive neighbourhood planning and create new opportunities for residents to influence the future of their communities.
Assembly Culture in Wigan and Leigh
Putting residents at the heart of neighbourhood planning
Wigan and Leigh Community Charity works with residents across Wigan and Leigh, supporting communities to play a more active role in shaping the places where they live.
The organisation has a strong track record in community organising, neighbourhood planning and community asset development, helping local people come together around shared priorities and opportunities. Its work is rooted in the belief that residents should have a meaningful voice in decisions about their neighbourhoods and town centres.
People’s Assemblies and participatory design methods are being explored as a way to strengthen this approach. Assemblies create opportunities for residents to share lived experience, identify common priorities and contribute ideas for the future of their communities. By bringing together different perspectives, they can help build shared understanding and support more inclusive local decision-making.
Early assembly activity has focused on neighbourhood planning and place-shaping, including conversations about town centre development, transport, community facilities and local resilience. Through creative and participatory approaches, residents have been able to explore what makes a thriving neighbourhood and what changes they would like to see in the future.
This work is helping to build stronger connections between residents, community organisations and local decision-makers. By putting local people at the heart of neighbourhood planning, Wigan and Leigh Community Charity is exploring how communities can play a more active role in shaping the future of the places they call home.
