Welcome to Wigton Town Council
Wigton is a historic market town in Cumbria, England, with roots stretching back to the 7th century. Its name originates from Wicga’s tun – with tun being Old English for a homestead or village – thought to reference an Anglo-Saxon leader named Wicga who settled here.
Once part of the old county of Cumberland, Wigton lies just beyond the edge of the Lake District, within the borough Allerdale. Nestled at the heart of the Solway Plain, it is beautifully positioned between the Caldbeck Fells and the Solway Coast. The town is well-connected, served by the Wigton railway station on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line, and by the A596 road leading to Workington. Just twelve miles to the west lies the coastal town of Silloth-on-Solway, beyond the village of Abbeytown.
About the Town Council
Wigton Town Council consists of fifteen members, all local people living within three miles of the town’s boundary. It employs a Town Clerk, an Assistant Town Clerk along with a team of five groundsmen.
The Council is responsible for managing and maintaining a range of assets and amenities within Wigton, including Wigton Park, Barton Laws Playing Fields, Throstle Park, four children’s play areas (situated on residential housing estates), allotments and St Mary’s churchyard. As well as the woodland area at Speet Gill and the Millenium Walk, the seating areas on Water Street car park, bus shelters and public seats on various sites within the parish. Additionally, it operates and maintains the public toilets in the centre of town.
It is also responsible, in partnership with the adjoining Woodside and Waverton Parishes, for the operation of Wigton Cemetery.
The Town Council meets monthly and incorporates four committees: Staffing, Policy & Development Committee, Events Committee, Finance Committee, and Parks, Open Spaces & Allotments Committee.
The Council meets at 7pm on the second Wednesday of each month, except for the month of August. Members of the public are welcome to attend.
Recent News
The latest news from Wigton Town Council
Wigton Town Council would like to congratulate Cllr John Crouch on being elected as the new Mayor of Wigton and Chairman of the Council for the forthcoming year.
We would also like to congratulate Cllr Sandra Hodson on being elected as Deputy Mayor.
We wish them both every success in their roles and look forward to seeing them represent the town and community over the coming year. ... See MoreSee Less
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🌐 Wigton Town Council Survey 🌐
Thank you to everyone who has completed the survey so far. We have received lots of interesting comments and feedback which will definitely help shape the new Town Plan.
We have also already been able to action some of your requests, including:
• Placing biodegradable dog poo bags at three locations across the town to see if this helps reduce dog fouling.
• Creating a list and rota of all the jobs that need to be carried out within St Mary’s Church grounds. The gate is currently being repaired too.
• Arranging for a licensed pest control visit to the allotments to assess the rabbit situation (with no myxomatosis involved!).
• Reviewing concerns regarding the public toilets:
Opening times are displayed on the toilet doors.
We understand that people may sometimes need access outside of these hours, so if this applies to you please get in touch and we can advise how to gain access to the disabled toilet, which is available 24 hours a day.
The disabled toilet is also due to be painted by the grounds team.
Our office now oversees the daily cleaning arrangements and the toilets are in a much better condition.
We no longer regularly have to close the toilets due to blockages (unless a plumber is required), and additional measures have been put in place to help prevent vandalism. Thankfully, these incidents have now decreased.
Your comments and feedback are genuinely taken into account and we will always do our best to improve the services and areas we are responsible for.
If you haven’t already completed the survey, please take a few minutes to do so. The feedback received will directly help shape the future Town Plan for Wigton.
... See MoreSee Less
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❓How are we funded❓
Did you know that Wigton Town Council receives its funding through the precept? Each year we submit a precept request to Cumberland Council, who then collect this as part of residents’ Council Tax bills.
Because this directly affects how much Council Tax residents pay, we have to be very mindful and responsible when setting our budget and submitting our annual request.
This is one of the reasons why certain large-scale projects can be difficult to deliver, even when we would love to provide them. For example, projects such as building new public toilets in another area of the town or installing an all-weather sports pitch could easily cost £1 million or more.
Unfortunately, there are not many grant opportunities available specifically for town councils and, when grants are available, they are often limited in value and do not cover the full cost of major projects.
That is why the Town Council has to carefully prioritise spending and focus on maintaining and improving the services and facilities we already provide, whilst continuing to look for funding opportunities wherever possible. ... See MoreSee Less
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