Bolton

Introduction

The town has also retained a variety of more traditional industries, employing people in, aerospace, paper-manufacturing, packaging, textiles, transportation, steel foundries and building materials. The area of Horwich around Middlebrook has been designated by Bolton Council as the `Bolton Economic Development Zone', and is currently seeing a great deal of building work, predominantly office space for law firms and business headquarters.

Recent Visits

None of note

Demographics for Bolton

Mid-2006 Population Estimates

Figures updated annually. Last update August 2007. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Children and Learners

• The number of 5, 6 and 7 year olds in classes over 30 has fallen from 4,835 in 1997 to zero by January 2007.
• Announced February 2007, funding of £58,000 is helping Bolton launch a new initiative to help and support the parents of potential trouble makers.
• Bolton is 1 of the first authorities to offer the new work-related diplomas as part of the Government’s plans to keep young people in education until they are 18.
• Developments in the Higher Level Skills Pathfinder has lead to the University of Bolton securing over £194,000 for Composite Design and Analysis Training and Education (June 2007).
• In June 2007 St Stephen’s and All Martyrs Primary School in Bolton won the Rolls Royce Science Prize. The £15,000 prize money is going to be used by the school to transform a piece of wasteland into a scientific discovery area.

Health and Well Being

• The Bolton Primary CareTrust (PCT) was formed in 2002, bringing together elements of the former Wigan and Bolton Health Authority, the three Bolton Primary Care Groups, and the Community Healthcare Bolton NHS Trust.
• Male life expectancy is 74.6 years and female life expectancy 79.0 years, so on average men and women in Bolton live shorter lives than in the North West and England. Female life expectancy has decreased by around one month since 2006. The teenage pregnancy rate is higher than the North West and England averages. The smoking rate (this is an estimate) is similar to the England average. However, the death rate from smoking is higher than the England average. Smoking accounts for 531 deaths a year in Bolton.
• In 2005/06, the Annual Accounts show a surplus of £300,000. The 2006/07 Annual Accounts show a surplus of £827,000. The draft accounts for 2007/08 show a £988,000 surplus.
• Under the proposals in the ‘Making it Better’ review, eight centres of excellence for maternity and children’s services will be created across Greater Manchester, with neonatal care provided at three large, specialist neonatal intensive care units. Secretary of State referred the decision to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) on 6 February. The IRP approved the proposals on 24 August 2007. The Royal Bolton Hospital is designated to become a centre of excellence for maternity services with a neonatal Intensive Care Unit also based here.
• There are no formal consultations under way on major reconfigurations, but the PCT is engaging with a range of local stakeholders on
• The creation of a new and innovative GP practice
• The development and integration of urgent care services
• Two new dentist surgeries for Bolton in 2008. One opened at the Dean Clinic in January 2008 and the second is due to open in April 2008 at Wigan Road, Deane.
• 3 new health centres opened in Bolton in August 2007. One of the new sites, Waters Meeting Health Centre, included a pharmacy and there are plans to add further services including district nurses, podiatry, diabetes clinics and dental services.
• Bolton PCT is one of 38 PCTs identified as having the poorest GP provision and will be the first to benefit from plans to deliver 100 new GP practices over the next three years.
• The PCT is a partner in the Bolton, Rochdale Heywood and Middleton Local Improvement Finance Trust scheme, with 3 schemes currently under development, expected to open from Summer 2008. An additional 18 schemes have been identified with an indicative capital value of £114m, the timing for these schemes stretches to 2013.
• 3 schemes currently under construction include the £10.4m Breightmet Primary Care Resource Centre, which will house a variety of services including mobile imaging, minor injuries, and treatment room.
• Bolton PCT is :
• an early achiever of the 18 weeks target,
• the first early implementer of the Summary Care Record
• an Adolescent Health demonstration site
• a pioneer in the development of Clinical Assessment and Treatment Services provided in the community by the NHS
• internationally recognised for the delivery of effective stop smoking services in a hospital setting
• Patient (DG) was found guilty of sexually assaulting a pensioner with dementia whilst they were both being held on the same medical assessment unit at the Royal Bolton Hospital. DG was jailed for a minimum of 18 months in February 2008. The judge sitting on the trial has criticized the use of mixed sex wards by the NHS. The Trust has issued a statement in response. 
• Computer equipment, including patient details, was stolen from the Royal Bolton Hospital site on weekend 10th/11th November 2007. Two computers were stolen: the Medical directors PC - no patient information but possibly other Trust sensitive information; Thoracic medicine PC - with identifiable details of 300 Bolton patients. Data on machine was password protected not encrypted.
• Police and Hospital security are investigating and a Serious Untoward Incident (SUI) team was convened.
• The Trust has informed all affected patients and set up a helpline for concerned patients.

Crime

• Bolton has been named as one of 40 priority Respect Action Areas in England, for being a Council who has a strong record in tackling anti-social behaviour.
• Bolton will receive around £1.3m in LAA area based grant for 2008/09 to tackle crime, reduce harm caused by illegal drugs, address anti-social behaviour and improve the poor conditions of streets and other public spaces.
•  Bolton has been allocated £1.154m funding for its Drug Intervention Programme (DIP) in 2008/09
• Young People Substance Misuse Grant (YPSMG) allocation totals £681k for 2008/09.

Transport

• Over £20m has been allocated to Bolton in the Three Year Local Transport Capital Expenditure Settlement 2008/09-22010/11for 2007-08.
• Greater Manchester could potentially benefit from a £2.8 billion funding package, comprising £1.5bn from Department for Transport, £1.2bn from local borrowing and £0.1bn local third party contribution, to deliver major public transport improvements and tackle road congestion as part its bid to the Government's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF). The package includes plans for up to 22 miles of extension to the Metrolink tram, transformed bus services across Manchester, including new, direct buses running from the north to the south of the city and 120 extra yellow school buses. There will also be major improvements to rail, including more carriages and seats, the upgrade of 41 train stations, and the doubling of park and ride provision on the rail and Metrolink networks.
• Bolton benefits from £3.5m Transport Infrastructure Fund awarded each year until 2010-11, to enhance public transport facilities in the western areas that will not benefit from Metrolink.

Social Inclusion and Regeneration

• Funding of £800m for Bolton at Home has been allocated to 2011, to spend on council housing, with improvements to homes and streets considered to be below 21st Century standards.
• Neighbourhood Renewal Funding of £23m for 2001-06 and over £11m for 2006-08 is improving services in the most deprived neighbourhoods and helping to meet Public Service Agreement targets in crime, health, education, employment and housing.
• Bolton is receiving nearly £5.7m in Working Neighbourhoods Funding in 2008/09. This replaces Neighbourhood Renewal funding from April 2008.
• Over £21m from the Single Regeneration Budget for projects including Bolton Vision For The Future Partnership, a 7 year scheme targeting Breightmet and Tonge Moor, to increase the number of voluntary/community groups and to reduce unemployment and burglaries.

European Funding

• £7m has been allocated for the provision of advice and support to new and established businesses in Bolton, including the provision of new premises for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.
• An additional £1m has been allocated to Bolton in September 2006 to support projects creating employment opportunities in the most deprived areas, bringing total Objective 2 funding for these activities to over £7.4m.
• £9.6m of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) was allocated to Bolton’s Economic Development Zone to support the regeneration of brownfield sites, premises for business use, and improved transport infrastructure.