Hi! My name is Ashley Trigg, and I am the Green Party Candidate for Leigh Central and Higher Folds, a ward I have called home for the past 8 years!

I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a little more about me, why I'm here and why I am running for council in the upcoming elections on MAY 7th.

Full statement

I have been interested in politics for over a decade, after studying economics at A-level in college, despite hardly knowing was it was (I wanted to escape my physics class and economics was one of the only things I could move to in that time slot!).

Despite this interest, I never actively engaged in political activity. The two party system and the state of politics overall left me completely disillusioned, so I used my time to instead to focus on my career, where I now work as a Data Architect in the financial services industry. More recently, I have used my free time to get involved with volunteering, becoming a trustee of two charities as well as getting involved in several committees within the British Computer Society (BCS), the UK's chartered IT institute.

However, times are challenging. The Conservatives performed so poorly that the 2024 election saw a massive swing towards Labour, who have also let everyone down. A worsening cost of living crisis, a crumbling NHS, rising hate crimes and silence on international conflicts, not to mention a lack of environmental safeguarding following the rise of AI... Something has to be done.

Thankfully, the Green Party of England and Wales have stepped up to the plate following the election of Zack as leader, and we are now one of the largest parties in the UK with over 216,000 members. Our policies are offer the radical change that this country desperately needs, and our people come from all walks of life with the intention to change our country for the better.

So I decided it was time to get involved and be a part of the change we sorely needed. I started by relaunching the Young Greens North West and building an amazing committee of Young Greens across the region, where we now lead over 6000 members across the region. Then, earlier this year, I was elected to the committee of Wigan and Leigh Green Party alongside another group of amazing volunteers.

So when it came time to elect candidates for the May 7th elections, I knew I just had to put my name forward for my ward, Leigh Central and Higher Folds. I have seen the struggles our town faces; litter in our streets, antisocial behaviour in our town centre, our amazing heritage buildings be left to rot or burn down. We recently received £12m investment for our town, but all that has gone towards to far is ripping up the road outside of our town hall to make the space look a little nicer in hopes that it will attract more people to the area. It's not enough.

Labour have let the country down, and our Labour council have let Wigan and Leigh down. The warehouses in Astley are a huge reminder that Wigan Council do not listen to or care much for this side of the borough, and people are looking for a change.
We have amazing Green Party candidates across all the seats in Wigan & Leigh, who are ready to hold Labour accountable for their actions.

I am not a politician, so you can believe me when I say that I will listen to the people of my ward and do everything I can to improve life for Leythers, support our local business, improve our town centre and protect our heritage buildings. Leigh must not be forgotten about and left behind.

Please feel free to contact me with your concerns about our area, I'd love to hear more about what I can do to help made a difference.

Yours Sincerely,
Ashley Trigg