A FOCUS on town centres and building on community spirit are all on the wishlists of Northwich’s Cheshire West councillors for 2021.

The LDRS has spoken to two councillors from across the political spectrum — who both named a renewed focus on the local communities as their top priority for the coming year.

That’s alongside beating Covid-19 by ‘getting vaccinated’ and returning to ‘some normality’, says Cllr Sam Naylor — Labour member for Northwich Witton.

He added: “I will be as passionate as I always will be in making the open space created by the fire to be a positive addition.

“I want to organise events in the town. My main focus is the river and we have got to work on that river around Barons Quay and say this is our real jewel in the crown asset and we are not using it. I have had a call about outdoor swimming by Barons Quay.

“Let’s get fast water taxis from Winnington Village into Barons Quay — it ticks all the right boxes environmentally. As a town councillor, I am going to keep on working on Northwich as a destination, go-to town.

“We have got to create the right environment. That’s what I am focusing on in 2021.”

Conservative Cllr Charles Fifield, representing Weaver and Cuddington, added that he would like to see CWAC renew its focus on localism.

He told the LDRS: “I would quite like to build on that sense of community — if one has to take a positive from 2020 it is that perhaps it has reminded us all of communities working together.

“What we have seen over the last 12 months is how central government, local government, councillors, and the community can all work together quite well on these — and I hope that sort of support can continue.

“I think there is a bit of a disconnect in that the administration does not really think about the parish-town council level — which I think is underused in local government.

“Often it is the priorities which are different [between towns].”