Tŷ Pawb looks to recruit ‘Advisory Board’ members – TWIG to move out

Wrexham Council are looking to recruit six volunteer roles that will be ‘key’ in directing and shaping the the future of Tŷ Pawb.

The positions will help make up the new facility’s new Advisory Board, which aims bring together stakeholders, people of a wide range of expertise which Wrexham Council believe necessary to support and underpin work of project

In September 2017 Wrexham.com reported plans to put Tŷ Pawb – Wrexham’s new £4.5 million arts and market space – into a trust had been put on hold due to legal issues that could have resulted in a non-local trust running it.

Over the past few years it has been stressed that trust ownership and management for the development was the best way forward for the development – opening up additional finance opportunities that the local authority could not access.

A business plan created by Fourth Street back in 2014 also highlighted the importance of the development being managed away from the council, explaining it will remove “red tape and bureaucracy”.

Back in December we queried Wrexham Council over the new Board plan, introduced after it was announced the centre was not to be run via a Trust due to legal issues. At the time we were told such a Board was not going to be an extra layer of red tape – the words used by consultants who recommended a Trust rather than the council running operations.

Last week the official advert for the six volunteers / board members went live on the Wrexham Council website, with the interview process set to take place 6th March 2018 and 9th March 2018, ahead of the ‘soft launch’ of the centre on the 26th, with the official grand opening on April 2nd.

In the job spec Wrexham Council say: “We’re looking for six roles as part of the Tŷ Pawb advisory board. These roles will be key in supporting the identification of priorities and development of future strategy for Tŷ Pawb.

“As each of the six roles is within a specialist area, we’re looking for someone who can provide experience and technical advice to maximise the operational success of the arts space, market, business premises and car park to achieve the TŷPawb business plan.”

The advisory board will regularly monitor and review all areas Tŷ Pawb throughout the year, reporting on the progress of the centre and making recommendations to the Council’s Executive Board.

With the Board now being formed, members are being sought to fill the specialised roles on it. The six roles have quite precise requirements from successful applicants, with large amounts of common requirements across the job description (Full detail in this Word Document).

The six voluntary areas cover Arts Programme Development, through to Marketing & Communications and Governance & Legal roles – all requiring relevant professional experience.

Some of the role requirements would fit a job specification for paid consultants, for example being able to “demonstrate a working knowledge of key legislation relating to company / charity status, staffing, buildings, business operations and finance ” or having a “track record of developing innovative approaches to increasing footfall.”

Previously issue with the lack of financial incentive for the roles was raised by leader of the Labour Group, Cllr Dana Davies, who in December 2017 asked if the role would be paid and what the overall vision for the project is.

At the time Lead Member for Communities, Partnerships, Public Protection and Community Safety, Cllr Hugh Jones said: “In terms of the ability to attract people, I believe that people interested in the project would be attracted by the enticement the project delivers rather than financial reward.

“It would be inappropriate given the scale of people have financial award. Being involved in the project is reward in itself.”

Wrexham Council say: “If you think you’ve got the skills and passion to be part of our advisory board, please send a written expression of interest letter and a CV of previous experience to [email protected] or [email protected] – or for an informal chat about the roles available, contact Andrew on 01978 315402.”

With just six weeks until the official opening of Tŷ Pawb, there are plenty of changes and progress being made with certain elements of the project.

Last week Wrexham.com enquired to Wrexham Council regarding the statement from The Wrexham Independent Gallery (TWIG) who are taking over a double shop unit in the Butchers’ Market from March 1st – despite originally starting out inside the People’s Market, and then once work started moving to the South Arcade / Mall.

In a statement published on their Facebook, TWIG have said: “It has not been an easy decision and we are very sad to be leaving South Arcade; unfortunately, the proposed rents after 1st April will make it impossible to stay”, adding that they expect to have ‘considerably more footfall and more space’ in the Butchers Market, along with running water.

TWIG told us: “We would like to add that we still fully support Ty Pawb and will continue to work closely with Jo and her team to develop the Arts Centre itself.”

We asked Wrexham Council for comment over a grass roots art startup moving from the new development to a traditional market, and why such a charitable and community enterprise has not found a home inside Tŷ Pawb, when it would appear to be a natural fit.

We had also been told that there had been progression on a number of tenants Tŷ Pawb, so asked if there was any updates on numbers of contracts signed and any updates on progression on that front.

Currently we have no reply to either query. We are also still awaiting a response on a previous query asking what plans have been put in place to help fill the empty stalls in the Butchers Market when several traders relocate back to Tŷ Pawb.