New camp site in Ellice way
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Seems the town’s homeless and smackheads have now decided to set up camp in the empty crown prosecution building in Ellice way. The area is becoming a haven for drinking and drug taking and it’s about time this problem is sorted out!
Human faeces on Maesgwyn park, empty beer cans, discarded bedding and clothing! Kids play on these fields and it’s worrying when you see the state of some of the smack heads around them!
To add insult, I tried emailing phil wynn, local councilor and my email was bounced back – email address unknown!
I know if you move them on they turn up somewhere else but there is no other solution!
A neighbour was walking their dog there this morning and witnessed a huge fight taking place in Ellice way! Its not on!
Janey
This is Cllr Wynns email that normally works
[email protected]Dear Janey
I’ve not viewed the forum for a little while, so have only now spotted your comments.
I was contacted by a constituent with the same message, which was passed on to the town-centre police team. They had no record of the incident but assured me that they would keep an eye on the locality.
FYI a street sleepers encampment was finally closed down a few weeks back, which was located in the Dunelm Mill railway underpass. A separate encampment then appeared on the Bryn Offa playing field which was moved on with police assistance.
This is an ongoing problem which is not going to go away whilst Street sleepers find Wrexham an attractive town in which to reside.
WCBC senior officers and Hugh Jones the Lead Member for Community Safety have been charged with coming up with solutions to the problem you have flagged. This has resulted in the recent introduction of a Public Space Protection Order which provides the police with an additional tool to challenge the unacceptable behaviour of a hard-core group of rough-sleepers, who are using our town-centre and adjoining residential areas as their very own social club.
I am currently serving on a WCBC elected members Task and Finish Group which is exploring ways of dealing with the problem of discarded needles and drugs paraphernalia, which can be found where in particular rough sleepers have been. The group’s recommendations are due to be made in September to WCBC’s Well-being scrutiny Committee.
I appreciate my response doesn’t provide any immediate reassurances that the powers that be are on top of problem but please be assured that I and fellow town centre ward elected members are pushing hard for solutions to be delivered. In the meantime I would ask fellow town residents to report any ASB incidences immediately to the police on 101.
Cllr Phil Wynn
Phil good to hear that there is a Task and Finish group looking at the issues of rough sleepers — I wonder if the Group is actually being presented with factual information. The last official figure for Wrexham last November was 17 — what a farce as the Council must unfortunately be employing people with a visual impairment. The figure is clearly much higher and without the true picture a full solution will not be found.
Could you indicate how many of the rough sleepers have been involved with your Task and Finish Group- trying to find a solution to a problem without hearing first hand from the ‘perpetrators’ will never achieve anything. There are going to be very few , if any, of the rough sleepers who have chosen it as a way of life.
Before anyone kicks off that these people bring it on themselves remember that most families are only three wage packets away from becoming homeless — that could be any of the Forum readers at any time..
The footpath from Watery Road towards Morrison’s it looks like someone has been sleeping in the hedge’s or someone is dumping rubbish.
Dylan the T&F Group have a remit to look at the issue of discarded needles as opposed to rough sleepers.That said they are intertwined. Rather than steal the Groups thunder I hope you will understand my stance of holding off on any comments until a report goes back to Scrutiny in September.
The Council have recognised that there is a hardcore of rough sleepers who need focused attention. Time will tell if this can be delivered and if so whether it will make a sustained difference. Having spoken with a number of rough sleepers I do not under-estimate the complexity of the issue.
Cllr Phil Wynn
Thanks Phil,
My husband contacted you ( thanks for the reply on here and via email)
I realise it is an ongoing problem and appreciate how difficult it must be to deal with these people. What really gets me is the fact that lots of them are not even from Wrexham!
Maybe wasteland outside of town could be used as a camp for them and anyone using the town centre or residential areas is moved to there! I am sure Wrexham won’t appear as attractive to them then.
Janey
Janey it appears that you have personal knowledge about the people you are referring to as you seem to know that a lot are from outside Wrexham. Unless you are aware of a different cohort the evidence that Cais (drug and alcohol service) have is that this is a myth and that over 75% are from the Wrexham area. No doubt the report that Phil refers to should have this evidence included as well.
Some people have used the argument that Wrexham attracts people with drug and alcohol problems and rough sleepers as a way of deflecting the attention on the fact that as a community Wrexham does not accept that we have a problems within our own families and just want to brush the issue under the carpet.
To end up on the street so often means that a lot of support services have failed the individuals — many of whom have mental health problems. If the current waiting list (over 6 months for intensive support) for a young person to receive a service from CAHMS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service then we are in for increasing numbers.
This issue has two distinct different parts – 1) dealing with those on the street etc now and 2. How do we support our young people and people one the verge NOW! The effective scrapping of Youth Services in Wrexham from January will reduce the informal contact time with YP. I hope the Task and Finish Group Phil refers to has actually taken both these issues into account.
Everyone reading these threads should take a log hard look at all their family members- any one of them could tip into this category as drug and alcohol excess does not exist in any one social category but everywhere.
I hope that PhilWynn and Co. come up with a suitable solution to this on-going problem. I don’t know if it has shifted from someone else’s back door to ours but only action will tackle it, talk is cheap.
Then there are the gangs of Eastern Europeans that hang around drinking and smoking pot …. but that is a different thread.
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