Heywood welcomes home rule

The day was the 1 April 1974, the day that Heywood lost much of its power to Rochdale.  The day that the old Heywood Town Council was finally dissolved and Rochdale took over the running of the Town.  Many Heywood residents remember this day with regret. 

The last sign of municipal power was knocked down in the mid-eighties, when the old Heywood municipal building on Longford Street was demolished.  The Heywood coat of arms that used to sit on top of the municipal building is now mounted in the wall on the corner of Longford Street and Bamford Road.

That is set to change though as the Heywood Township becomes more powerful, making more decisions that affect Heywood people.  It is also planned to build Heywood a new ‘Town Hall’, a focal point for access to Council Services.

Heywood Councillor Peter Rush said: “I am absolutely delighted that we have kept our clear manifesto commitment of home rule for Heywood.  I said it two years ago and this is a huge step forward, and I look forward to hearing more at the next meeting of the Heywood Township.  We are a forward thinking Council, who are learning from mistakes of the past.  There is much that needs to be done but this a decisive step forward that will really localise decision making.  Those who remember the abolition of Heywood Town Council can now take comfort from the fact that our Township will eventually have more power than old Heywood Town Council!”

Heywood Township Chairman Councillor Colin Lambert has welcomed the proposals to give more power back to Heywood.

He said: "Decisions affecting peoples lives should be taken as locally as possible and I would like to see the details of the proposals being discussed at community level not just at township.

"When the proposals come to the Township Committee on 13 November I intend to release those papers to all our community groups for discussion.

"I want Heywood to be able to 'commission services' by setting priorities decided locally. We must be able to move spending across budgets if our priorities differ from those set at the corporate centre.

"It will be a real challenge to services to set them the task of focusing on Heywood priorities and needs.

"I welcome the return of a Town Hall to Heywood - but it must be more than just a name, it must function for Heywood and be open to people.

"Let's re-work democracy and rebuild faith in our decision making process.

"If these proposals are brought in then we must issue the challenge to other provider services to also consult on further localised decision making.

"These proposals must be the start of a process which brings democracy back to a local level."