Wrexham.com’s Councillor Progress Report – Brymbo

Last year we delivered a unique Q&A to all 138 local election candidates.

Out of the 52 council members elected, 12 kindly participated and provided responses to our questions.

Now, with over a year of the current term elapsed we caught up with them to find out what they had been up to, and how much they had achieved so far.

Each Cllr was issued with the same Q&A format, and 7 out of the 12 Cllrs answered our questions within the time frame requested.

These are the responses from Cllr for Brymbo, Paul Rogers.

1. What was your first priority / aim for your ward prior to being elected and have you managed to achieve it?

During the election campaign I made several key pledges one of which was to improve facilities for children and young people. In particular to work to develop a skate park in Brymbo.

Since then we have secured the support of both Brymbo Community Council and Wrexham Council. I have worked with volunteers to raise nearly £6000 towards the project which will be used as match funding towards a larger grant application. The project is well and truly underway and we hope that grant funding will be secured and construction can begin next year.

2. Since the election have you found your ward members engaged in your work, and if so what has been the main engagement tool?

Being accessible is key to engaging with your ward members. As in the previous term I have continued to carry out regular walkabouts within the ward, attended community events and regularly met within local community groups to discuss their issues. Meeting people face to face is the best way of engaging in my opinion.

3. A post on the Wrexham.com forums stated that local democracy is healthy when councillors are pushed on issues affecting their ward members. Some have called for an open forum discussion. Do you feel you are pushed enough by the people you represent and could an open forum be a tool to achieve that?

Whilst open forums are useful for debate and gauging opinion in reality limited numbers choose to use them.

I find as a Councillor if you are active within your ward local residents will press you on the matters important to them. The internet is just one way of doing so.

4. What one thing you have achieved over the last 15 months are you most proud of?

Working with residents to raise nearly £6000 in under 12 months from various events towards the planned Brymbo Skatepark to me is the biggest achievement.

A large amount of money has never been raised in such a short period from within the community for a local project and I am extremely proud of the fundraising team for their efforts.

It demonstrates there is huge support in Brymbo to deliver this project.

5. What do you see as the long-term future in terms of Wrexham’s identity and how do you think it will be achieved?

Wrexham needs to strengthen its appeal as a retail destination. Too many empty shops and the tacky shop frontages that accompany them send out a message that the town’s closed for business.

The Council does need to focus more on working to attract new retailers to the town and encourage more independent retailers to start up in the town.

I recently suggested that the Council encourage this through allowing incentives for young entrepreneurs to take up vacant market stalls which would encourage them to grow their ideas. The response I had was encouraging and that the Council are working with local educational institutions looking at ideas to boost entrepreneurship. I look forward to the outcomes of this work.

6. Your current term in office is one where the council are implementing cuts. If you had to pinpoint one area the council should spend more in, and one area where they should spend less, what would they be?

The Council’s Environment Department is one which I believe would benefit from more funding. In all our communities it is proving increasingly difficult to maintain standards of maintenance, from grass cutting to pothole repairs to gritting our roads. These are very important issues for our residents and we should strive to address them proactively.

It is difficult to pinpoint one specific area to spend less. I believe all departments have areas where spending can be reviewed. The Council has been making savings for several years now and I think there will need to be a radical change in how we deliver services to reduce spending across the board.

7. Where are your current efforts focused and what visible improvements would you like to achieve between now and the end of this term in your ward?

The recent closure of Brymbo Post Office has been a major blow to the local community particularly elderly residents. I am currently working with the Post Office and local businesses and community groups to try to re-establish the service. I would hope a solution can be found in the near future.

Secondly there is a lot of resource going into the regeneration of the former Brymbo Steelworks site. Recent planning approvals for a small number of homes and new supermarket appear to have created a way forward to deliver the spine road.

These developments cannot happen until construction starts on the spine road and I would like to reassure residents that there are safeguards in place to ensure that once started the road is completed.

I am currently working with Brymbo Developments Ltd and the Council to ensure the community benefits as much as possible from these developments. Environmental improvements, repairs to the steelworks site boundary fencing as well as improved open spaces are all on the agenda and progressing well. We are also working up proposals for the future of the former industrial buildings with a view to creating a heritage visitor centre.

Residents should begin to see a lot of progress on these issues over the next 12 months.

8. What do you think has been the best decision taken by the council since the election?

As a member of the Homes Environment and Communities Scrutiny Committee I was part of a Subsidised Public Transport task and finish group which looked at transport priorities in light of reductions in grant funding. The group supported a criteria which took into account a range of factors and not just subsidy per passenger. This would allow many vital rural, evening and Sunday bus services to continue across the borough which in my opinion was vital. This policy was endorsed by the committee and subsequently Executive Board.

9. What do you think has been the worst decision taken by the council since the election?

A big disappointment as an elected member since the election was the Executive Board decision to grant a lease to Brymbo Community Council to construct a multi-use games area despite strong opposition from local residents.

In my opinion there could have been further consultation and a compromise reached before the lease was granted that would have addressed concerns.

10. In our Q&A at election time we asked for your best memory of the town, so would like to ask you this time around what have you been most proud of in terms of the town since you were elected?

Without a doubt the Olympic torch coming to Wrexham was a fantastic event and brought out the best in the town. It was a privelege to be able to observe the arrival of the torch to Llwyn Isaf and the enjoyable activities which took place.