Councillors bizarre 'livestock' motion dubbed out of touch as council house rent rise approved

In a town hall meeting that saw council house rents upped by 7.7 per cent, it was a plea to ban the ‘archaic practice’ of giving away animals as prizes which caused the most backlash.

The latest rise will help the council invest in its housing stock and carry out essential maintenance for the health and safety of residents, Wigan Town Hall heard. Coun Gambles and her Housing Advisory Panel reluctantly endorsed the rise followed by the cabinet. The Independent Network and the other Independent councillors voted against the rise as they believed it to be wrong, but it was approved by the majority of Labour members in the chamber.

Coun James Paul Watson questioned why the council is paying £14m a year to the government in interest alone for loan repayments and asked to prioritise filling up the empty council homes.

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Coun Gambles responded in agreement regarding the issues and told the chamber how they are asking the government to look at the loan. She added that work to reduce times when council homes sit empty is a big priority for her housing team and the issue is being addressed.

Later in the meeting, councillors scolded Coun Sam Brown’s motion to ban giving away live animals as prizes, in any form on Wigan Council land. They believed there are more pressing matters to discuss, even if it was something they disagreed with. Coun Maureen O’Bern questioned why goldfish are more important than demand for council homes, a motion she had been refused.

Her fellow Independent Coun Stuart Gerrard said: “I think the giving away animals as