VOTE HBFI - BLACKROD

YOUR LOCAL PARTY
HBFI
Horwich & Blackrod First Independents
PLANNING FOR BETTER
COMMUNITIES.
INDEPENDENTS
OUR HBFI
CANDIDATE!
Re-elect Cllr
Sam Williamson
on the 2nd May
HBFI save
Blackrod
Library
from
closure
Your HBFI Blackrod Ward
Councillors, David Grant, Sam
Williamson and Peter Wright
successfully negotiated the
removal of Blackrod Library from
a Bolton Council list of possible
closures under efforts to cut costs.
The suggestion by Bolton Council
was residents could go to either
Horwich or Bolton Library.
Sam like the rest of HBFI felt this
was clearly unreasonable and
the importance and value of the
library to our village was being
wholly underestimated.
Rest assured Sam and her HBFI
colleagues will be monitoring any
future discussions to remove
public assets from our village by
Bolton Council.
HBFI don’t wait for things
to happen, we go out and
make them.
Over the years we have
successfully campaigned against
the inequality of decisions and
funding by Bolton Council, we are
now seeing the reversal of poor
decisions and millions reinvested
in our communities, protecting
the few remaining assets from
further development
In addition, HBFI have, and
continue to work on our own
independent plans to bring
millions of investments and
grants to fund town and village
improvements, events, parks,
recreational & sporting facilities.
• HBFI are looking into funding
to create gateway Christmas
decorations into the village.
• HBFI councillors are funding
new safety road markings
around our schools including
new safety signs near Blackrod
Church Primary.
• HBFI are looking at a 5-year
plan for grant funding to help
pave the way for funding for
future Blackrod events.
• HBFI have secured land in
Horwich for the creation of a
new Sports Village. Our vision
is to create facilities for rugby,
football, Hockey, Basketball
and running. This facility will
benefit the communities of
both Horwich and Blackrod.

HBFI PLACE THE COMMUNITY AT THE
Building stronger communities is our long-term ambition to deliver real tangible change benefi
in the pipeline, elevating our town to be the most successful in the borough – We can only contin
Illustration by Emma Coyle
FREE
Community Event
HORWICH
TOWN
COUNCIL
Festival of Horwich
Saturday, 23rd Sept 2023. 12pm - 10pm
Festival of Horwich 2023
FESTIVAL OF HORWICH
Over 7,000 residents from
Horwich and Blackrod had a
fantastic fun-packed day at this
free Festival.
Organised and funded by the
HBFI-led Horwich Town Council,
with the help of an army of
volunteers ensuring our
communities had something to
celebrate with lots of activities
and entertainment for the young
and old alike.
As we had hoped, we saw lots of
friends and families from
Blackrod and further afield come
along to enjoy the day.
Horwich RMI: Ramsbottom Rd, Horwich BL6 5NH
HBFI have a 5-year plan to make
the festival an annual event. To
help us achieve this we are
preparing to fund all future
events with National Lottery
Community grants removing the
burden on the tax payer.
It’s so nice when the community
“comes together for events like
this, even better it was free. Our
whole family had a fab day.
”
Sharon, Blackrod
HBFI Cllr, Kathryn Grant listened
to your concerns about the lack
of public bins on regular routes
for walkers. Whilst Bolton council
stubbornly refuses to install new
bins and removed many over the
years, HBFI councillors have
started to fund and roll out new
community bins. These are
maintained by HBFI community
volunteers, keeping our streets
nice and clean.
HBFI Christmas Treasure Hunt
Some great news...
HBFI SECUR
FOR SPORT
HBFI has spent years challenging Bolton C
to help mitigate the impact of the Loco Wor
and Blackrod, the largest in Greater Manc
gave way and has offered a large plot of Bo
southwestern end of the Loco Works easily
This is just the first step in developing HBFI
hope will encompass a variety of sporting a
and Hockey on all-weather pitches, includin
will be an ambitious challenge that HBFI is
RIVINGTON CHASE (HORWICH LOCO WO
ALDI &
ICELAND

INDEPENDENTS
HEART OF EVERYTHING WE DO...
ting everyone. We are already delivering on our promises and have more ambitious plans
ue to do these great things if you Vote for us in May’s Elections.
:*: HBFi :*:
presents
Horwich Town Centre’s
Christmas
SPONSORED
treasure
hunt
lots of
runner-up
prizes to
be won!
INDEPENDENTS
FIRST PRIZE
APPLE
iPAD
BY:
E LAND
S VILLAGE
ouncil over the lack of sporting facilities
ks housing development on Horwich
hester. Officers at Bolton Council finally
lton Council-owned land situated to the
accessible from the new Spine Road.
’s vision for a Sports Village which we
ctivities and facilities for Rugby, Football
g Basketball and a Running Track. This
up for, with the help of our community.
RKS)
Sports
Village
Land
Concept Only
a free festive family event.
Saturday 9th December
between 1pm-4pm.
MIDDLEBROK
RETAIL PARK
Blackrod Gateway Sign
£200K FUNDING FOR
OUR VILLAGE
HBFI ensured that regeneration
funds were given to Blackrod.
This saw an investment of £200k
directly to Blackrod on schemes
devised by the team behind your
Neighbourhood Plan.
From the funds secured by HBFI
and Cllr John Price we can see
the first projects of that
investment coming together with
the two new gateway signs into
the village, and the a new
footpath which helps safely
separate parked cars from
pedestrian on Church Street.
We look forward to further
improvements from this fund and
if you have any suggestions
please contact one of your
Blackrod Councillors.
Outside Church Street precinct
HBFI’s plans for a Pump Park on Station Park
PUMP PARK & SAFE SPACES
FOR OUR TEENAGERS
For far too long our town’s
teenagers have been overlooked
and that is about to change.
Amphitheatre - a place to meet!
HBFI are looking to add
additional features to Station
Park, specifically for teenagers
from both Horwich & Blackrod.
Our plan is to create a Pump
Park helping teenagers to keep
active and have fun. This will also
sit alongside an Amphitheatre
seating area for teenagers to
meet in a safe space covered by
lighting and CCTV.
We envisage the amphitheatre
space could also be used as an
outdoor venue for educational,
theatre and musical activities.

VAPING DANGERS
AND OUR CHILDREN
HBFI Councillor, Sam
Williamson brought a motion to
Bolton Council to help schools
and parents combat the scourge
of illegal vapes being sold to
children. The dangers are there
for all to see with child addiction
and children being rushed to
hospital due to addictive
chemicals within these vapes.
This campaign was also given
national attention on the BBC &
Radio. On the back of HBFI’s
request, Bolton Council has now
put together a Youth Vaping
Programme of action.
Sam commented: “As someone
who works in education I see the
effects and disruption the
addiction to these vapes cause
on a daily basis. The ages of
those children using them has
also become younger and
younger. The new Youth Vaping
Programme of Work by Bolton
Council is a welcomed first step
to combating this issue in which
Councillors, parents and schools
can work together to send it.”
New signage & traffic regulation
orders to protect our children on
the school run.
HBFI have undertaken a review
to the current traffic restriction
orders and signage, particularly
around dangerous junctions and
schools. We are pleased to
announce that we have made
funding available for the
implementation of new yellow
lines on Manchester Road with
clearer road markings, along
with new warning signs near to
Blackrod Church Primary School.
IS THIS LABOURS
ASON’S 2.0?
HBFI fought against Labour’s
decision to write off £1.5 million
owed to Bolton Council from NCP
who owed a massive £4.5 million
debt, this is the same company
that has £28m cash reserves in the
bank. HBFI Leader, Cllr. David
Grant used all means available to
overturn this decision.
Unfortunately, Labour had the
final say which has seen them
hand over £1.5millon of taxpayers
money to NCP, a company owned
by the Bank of Japan, worth
approx. £112 Billion.
HBFI SECURED £50K FOR COMMUNITY PROJECTS
Last year HBFI succesfully
secured an additional £50K for
local initiatives around our
village. We are pleased to
announce the first project is to
fund 4 large community
composite planters to replace the
ageing wooden ones. Many more
schemes are being considered
which will further improve and
enhance our beautiful village.
HBFI BRINGS RECORD SUMS OF FUNDING INTO OUR TOWNS
This chart is clear evidence that
when Horwich and Blackrod were
under Labour control, those now
ex-Labour councillors failed to get
fairer funding for our Towns,
instead allowing it to go to Labour
strongholds in Bolton.
Since 2019, HBFI has campaigned
for equality of funding; those
negotiations are now paying off
with record sums being invested
into Horwich & Blackrod.
LABOUR:
£29,117
2011-2018
HBFI:
£6.46 MILLION
2019-2024
HBFI funding: 2019–2024*
District Centre Regen. £4m
Area Forum Funds £460k
Repayment to Town £800k
Centre Regen. Fund
Road Fund
£1.1m
Pickups Field £100k
Total
£6.46m
Labour funding: 2011–2018*
Total £29k
* These figures exclude ongoing Capitol Projects.
Promoted by Craig Rotheram on behalf of Sam Williamson all of: 5 Mary St West, Horwich BL6 7JT
Printed by Craftprint: Longworth Road, Horwich BL6 7BL