Welcome to Whitworth Town Council's website

Whitworth is a thriving town, population approximately 7,500, which is situated in the Rossendale Valley in Lancashire, in the North West of England. Whitworth is nestled in the foothills of the Pennines, between the towns of Bacup to the north and Rochdale to the south.

Here you will find links to local business and events.

The 2020 Whitworth Calendar has just been released and is available to purchase for £5 from the Town Council Office at the Riverside and Whitworth Post Office.

This year's calendar features the work of local artist David Chatton Barker who has worked with an archaeologist for 6 months, exploring the archaeology of Brown Wardle Hill.  His research has created a wealth of work, some of which is depicted in the stories and images in this calendar. 

All proceeds from the sale of the calendar go to the Tourism and Leisure Committee who organise a schedule of free family events in Whitworth.  By buying the calendar you help these traditions to continue.

Flyposting Advice

Whitworth Town Council have recently received some complaints about fly-posting and wanted to advise the public and local groups and businesses on what is and isn’t permitted.  Fly-posting can give residents and visitors a really poor impression of our community.  Ideally all advertisements should be temporary, well presented and should have the landowner’s permission before they are erected.  

We hope all our local businesses and groups will help us to keep improving our sense of civic pride and ensure that events and businesses can be promoted sensibly without creating eyesores and blights on the landscape.

What is Fly Posting?

Fly-posting is displaying adverts and other promotional materials without permission, on buildings, posts, poles, litter bins and elsewhere in public. Fly-posting is mainly done by businesses and community groups that want free advertising. Many local councils have a 'zero tolerance' policy on fly-posting.
In England/Wales, fly-posting is illegal (in certain circumstances) under the Highways Act 1980 and the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Offences under the 1980 Act include that of obliterating a traffic sign, while under the 1990 Act it is an offence to display an advertisement in a way that breaches specified regulations.

Legal measures to prevent fly-posting include:
•    On-the-spot fines of up to £80
•    Use of fixed penalty notices
•    Prosecution in a magistrates’ court
•    Special powers to tackle Anti-Social Behaviour
•    Charging the offender for the cost of removing the poster

Where do I get permission to erect signage?

Many signs are attached to lampposts, in order to do this, you must get permission from Lancashire County Council.  They will usually impose several conditions about which lampposts can be used (usually no lampposts with any other sign or sticker on), they will usually have to be removed again within a couple of weeks and they may impose a charge.  Where signs are to be attached to railings you will need to contact the owner of the railings for permission, this could be Lancashire County Council, Rossendale Borough Council or they could be in private ownership.

Whitworth Town Council have a banner frame located at the corner of Tonacliffe (opposite Station Road) which is available to use free of charge to not-for-profit organisations.  This frame must be booked in advance on a first come first served basis.  To book the banner frame please contact Whitworth Town Council.

Whitworth Town Council also provide four community noticeboards which are there for the community to use to promote events.  These noticeboards are located at Moss Side Street, Shawforth, outside Whitworth Medical Centre, on the corner of Lloyd Street and Cowm Park Way, in the layby on the prom.  You are welcome to place posters and notices on these boards, providing that 
a.    You use pins to secure your notice, NOT staples please;
b.    You remove it once it becomes scruffy / insecure / out of date;
c.    The content of your notice is appropriate for display on a community noticeboard.
d.    All posters must be no larger than A5 portrait as space is limited, larger posters will be removed.
e.    Please do not hang or pin banners from the legs of the frame.
To access the noticeboard, twist the catches at the top corners and lower the Perspex front.

The Town Council also offer huge roadside advertising boards which can be leased for as little as £132 for a six month period and quarter page adverts in the Whitworth Valley News for less than £35 per issue. Contact the office for more details about these great value offers.

Whitworth in Bloom have recently renovated the corner of Tong Lane and Market Street, Whitworth and worked with the owner to remove fly-posting from this area.  This area has been a problem for fly-posting in the past as the railings were frequently covered with numerous banners and the Town Council frequently received complaints about the poor impression it gave of our community.  

How to report graffiti or fly-posting 

Cases of fly-posting will be investigated by Lancashire County Council, you can report graffiti and fly-posting online.