West Lancashire District Council became a Borough Council on 20
May 2009 by Royal Charter presented to the Council on that date
by the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire.
West Lancashire District Council was
created in 1974 from Ormskirk Urban District Council, Skelmersdale
& Holland Urban District Council, part of West Lancashire Rural
District Council and part of Wigan District Council (Wrightington,
Dalton and Parbold) and obtained the grant of a Coat of Arms in
1983.
The Coat of Arms
Latin Motto: “Salus
Populi Suprema Lex” was taken from the former West Lancashire Rural
Badge and translates as: “The wellbeing of the people – the
supreme law”
The crest consists of a
phoenix rising from a mural crown depicting the new authority
created by local government reorganisation. The phoenix carries a
miner’s pick, shovel and lamp – a special reference to
Skelmersdale as a mining community in the 19th
century.
The shield of arms is
derived from the former Up Holland badge of office and shows the
lion rampant and fleurs-de-lis. The sheaves of corn are from the
former Skelmersdale badge of office and now also represent West
Lancashire’s agricultural nature.
Ormskirk Church is the
main feature of the shield of arms and is accompanied by three
Lancashire roses, whose presence shows that the Council is part of
Lancashire. The Church and roses were taken from the old
Ormskirk badge of office.