Did You Know ......

...... that Wigan is closer to the River Mersey than St.Helens is and most of Wigan drains into the River Mersey, which means it's in the Mersey Basin, so why is Wigan not in Merseyside?

tonker

Prior to the local government boundry changes in 1974, Wigan was actually placed in the new Merseyside County by the Boundry Commission, but Wigan Council supported by many of it's residents objected on the grounds that Wigan was more akin to Manchester than what it was to Liverpool and the Boundry Commission accepted the objection and Wigan was moved to the new Greater Manchester County.

Actually, Owd Codger, you're wrong.
Wigan was originally placed in 'selnec' (which stood for South East Lancashire North East Cheshire).
Selnec was adjusted slightly and re-named Greater Manchester.
As for "Wigan was more akin to Manchester than what it was to Liverpool", well, that's wrong too, because Wigan has always had strong connections with Liverpool, from the landed gentry through the business owners to the churches. Even Pooles's Pies originated in Liverpool!

Who in there right mind would want to be associated wi sent hell ins?

pimblets you mean tonker .

No, Whups, Pooles's! Not Pimblett's. They're a St.Helens family bakery. Their John, who buggered it up, now lives in a 'hall' in Edgeworth, t'other side o' Bolton.

Tonker,

Selnec was created in 1969 as an organisation to take over the bus companies of 11 municipal authorities. It didn’t include the Wigan Corporation fleet.
In 1972/1974 the Local Government Acts led to the creation of Greater Manchester County Council. The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive was set up to manage transport across Greater Manchester.
At this point the Wigan bus fleet became an integral part of the GM PTE fleet.

Before the argument kicks off, the ditch on the other side of that hedge, between the two fields is the source of Borsdane Brook, which empties into the River Mersey

No, Gaffer .........

R.A.I.D. !

Tonker

That was an early proposal by Redclffe-Maud, the author of the Local Government Acts of 1972/1974, that never got past first base. The final proposal was a major revamp not a slight adjustment. In reality Selnec was only ever a transport executive.

tonker

No, I am not and the name of Selnec was only to do with public transport and a forerunner name of the transport executives that we now have today and nothing to do with forming of the new Greater Manchester and Merseyside Local Government Counties!

As people on these message boards are aware, I seldom get involved in arguments on here, but I decided to download the

Royal Commision on Local Government in England 1966-1969

Chairman: The RT Hon Lord Redcliffe-Maud

LINK

And I noticed that the proposed new Metropolitan Area of Merseyside would have been LINK

The proposed new SELNEC area, including Wigan would have been LINK

Wigan would have been in just about the same place as it was put in Greater Manchester in 1974, with only a chunk of Ashton in Makerfield and Billinge and Winstanley being put in Merseyside.

Both of you ...... Selnec was the name chosen for the proposed metropolitan county containing the city of Manchester. The Redcliffe Maud proposal was used to create the Local Government Act of 1972. Not 100% adhered to, but used as a basis to work from.
Selnec might have been used for a public transport service, but was going to be used for the Metropolitan County, however the Cheshire Set didn't approve. And Greater Manchester is a better name choice than Sel (Selnec minus north east cheshire!)

However, Wigan is closer to the Mersey than St.Helens is and Wigan Council literally 'begged' to be included in Liverpool City Region!

Tonker

Yes, SELNEC was going to be the name of the new Metropolitan area and that is something that I never knew

But as Gaffer and Owd Codger said, mention selnec to anyone who was around in the early 1970s and the only thing they will associate that abbreviation with, was that thing with the buses

I can remember all the twists and turns clearly. I was one of a very large contingent who campaigned to keep Wigan in Lancashire. At the time Lancashire stretched from the Southern end of Lake Windermere and across to Buxton from Liverpool. Population of 7 million. One of the minor campaign proposals was to split it into North and South Lancashire with capital cities of Preston and Manchester. The main thrust from the Wigan campaigners, however, was to keep Wigan in Lancashire.



In common with all commissions of this type the person responsible publishes their recommendations which are then subject to change by national and local politicians.

The Cheshire-Set didn't get all their own road, though. I have a couple of friends in, what THEY call, Cheshire. But they are in Greater Manchester really. One in Sale and the other was in Altrincham (but liked to call it Dunham), now moved to Knutsford.
That's the Nec in Selnec!

tonker

Sorry, but I always remember the local rag reporting just before 1974 that the original intention was to put Wigan into Merseyside as there was only four Council Boroughs in Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and the Wirrel compared to the nine boroughs proposed for the new Greater Manchester County.


I also remember at the time, a lot of Wigan supporters saying that they not want to be plastic scousers like those in St Helens.


Thaankfully, common sense prevailed even if we did not stay in Lancashire!

"there was only four Council Boroughs in Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and the Wirrel"

No. Liverpool is a city and it's in Merseyside, along with Wirral, Sefton, Knowsley and St.Helens.

Plastic Scouser? Plastic Manc.? Plastic Wiganer?

tonker

I know very well that Liverpool is a city and sorrry I forgot to include Knowsley

Plastic 'know it all's' from Newton Le Willows as well!

Go on, give us a clue!

Who scored the goal?

George Best?

tonker

Wrong again!

Andy Burnham

The facts are this tonker WIGAN does not want nor need to be akin with liverpool end off!
g.b.

But GB, Wigan has lived off the back of Liverpool for the last two centuries. I'm sure you know that?

tonker

Are you by any chance a budding scouser?

Budding? Do you mean 'taking lessons in Scousism'?
No! Certainly not! The only Liverpool connections I have are my use of the airport and the Manx ferry.
Oh., and I once had a pair of Flemming's Jeans in the seventies, when I was a Skinhead!
I don't like football, the Beatles, or Pooles's Pies.
However, I do like Everton Mints. Then again, I'm partial to Pontefract Cakes, but I'm not from Yorkshire!