Abram ward Communities Together (ACT)
In 2015, Abram Ward Community Cooperative (now Wigan and Leigh Community Charity) brought together a group of local residents, residents’ groups, Ward Councillors, Business and Schools from across the 5 villages of Abram Ward, to discuss the opportunity to develop a Neighbourhood Plan.
Everyone attending felt it was important that local people should have a say on the future of Abram Ward and the Planning Policies that shape the infrastructure of the Ward.
The Localism Act of 2011 introduced the option of Neighbourhood Planning in England. A Neighbourhood Plan document is written by a Town or Parish Council, or in urban areas a Neighbourhood Forum, to guide future development, regeneration and conservation of a particular area. This Plan is about how the land in the Neighbourhood Area will be used and developed and it contains planning policies and proposals for improving the area.
An Abram Ward Neighbourhood Area (Abram, Bamfurlong, Bickershaw, Platt Bridge, Spring View) was developed and a Constituted Forum was established, named Abram ward Communities Together (ACT).
Since 2015, the Forum has met to put together a series of Consultation events to gain the view of the local people who live and work in the Ward.
Feedback from these have been turned into a Neighbourhood Plan and supporting Planning Policies.
Abram Communities Together was formally designated as the Neighbourhood Forum for Abram in August 2015. The Forum was originally named Abram Ward Neighbourhood Forum but has continued under the name of Abram Communities Together (ACT) since 13th April 2018. On 6th November 2020, Abram Communities Together was formally redesignated as the Neighbourhood Forum for a further five years until 6th November 2025.