People’s Market the Arts Hub.
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If you do click on too the Council’s site to fill in the consultation, this time you can’t complete it with out answering every question, they cover everything from your postcode, age , marital status and pregnancy !!! Obviously they want to put as many people as possible off filling it in !!
[/quote] I agree with you wrexview. The Council can have secret meetings,yet they require to know all about the person replying. It certainly put me off.
I would suggest that the “secrecy” surrounding the discussions about this proposal, reflects to some extent the mauling that the councillors have been subjected to after previous decisions. Decisions like those to close the now successful Splash Magic and the Wrexham Baths. The fact that ‘secrecy’ is involved is itself disgusting and reflects badly on those conceited persons who chose to take this route.
Whether or not one agrees with having an Art Centre or the Arts in general, the real threat and evil in this current situation is the hiding behind closed doors which is unjustifiable.
I suggest a boycott of the next council elections as a demonstration of the electorate’s disgust with our present representatives.
Boycotting elections does nothing. Actively going out and voting for someone other than the sitting councillors gets things changed.
Our elected Councillors hold all the power including bringing items out of the closed doors secret “Part 2.” They always say it is because of economically sensitive information but in this case we all know it is a three million pound project made up of money from Vibrant and Viable, Welsh Arts Council and Lottery Funding. What a breath of fresh air it would be if they did debate it in public !
“The following objectives have been ranked in priority order” –
Interesting to see ‘Improving retail experience’ ranked at 6 and ‘Support start-up businesses’ ranked at 9 in priorities for the consultation objectives.
Wrexview- you have jumped the gun the Council have nit yet been awarded any funding from the Arts Council for the actual build project. They have a lot of hoops to go through first including showing that there is public support.
The whole of the financials could have been removed and put everything else in the public domain- it would at least be good to know what there actual project proposal will be.I wonder how many of the current Executive decision makers will actually be around after the 2017 Local Government elections to actually see this project open — 1. there is a good chance that many will be challenged and 2. Nothing against age but at least a third will be either 75 and above or fast heading in that direction. In the business world would you have such a large number of ‘older’ Executive Board members running a multi million pound operation!
I have spoken with the Chairman of the Counci’s Employment, Business and Employment Srutiny Committee about the discussion that has taken place thus and there is no reason why the majority of the discussion cannot take place in a public forum ie part 1.
If we are asked to take on board any information which is commercially sensitive then this ought to be taken first and for elected embers to then discuss the recommendations forthcoming with public presence and hopefully contributions from traders and other interested parties.
Cllr Phil Wynn
As co-chair of the EBI Scrutiny Committee back in 2014 I am fully aware of the sensitivity surrounding the demise of the People’s Market to make way for an Arts Hub. My concerns were raised back in 2014 with the Council’s hierarchy that if market traders are left feeling they are the sacrificial lamb then expect a back-lash off the Wrexham general public for our insensitivity.
The feasibility study has yet to be shared with elected members so it is too early to say the Arts Hub is a goer or dead in the water.
The win win situation for me is if the Arts Hub is to proceed with financial backing from the Welsh Arts Council and the Welsh Government’s flagship VVP scheme, with a down-sized People’s Market accommodated in-situ or alternatively the Council come up with an alternative and acceptable location for existing traders who wish to continue their trade in Wrexham.
As a lay member of the coalition I am required to take a steer off my Executive Board members. Rest assured they will get my my full backing if their proposal going forward is for the best of Wrexham.
Cllr Phil Wynn
Perhaps Phil, you might ask your colleagues in the Council to ponder on more than the hobbyhorse that is the Arts Hub and the supposed conclusions of the Quarterbridge Report and have a look at other Reports, most of which WCBC has been involved in and claims to want to learn from. MMU were brought into the town to dispense their own specialist wisdom, yet the Report which I have referenced below has been all but ignored by those creating the Hub
The bottom line of the MMU’s report for me is focus on making your town-centre relative for your residents needs and you have a greater chance of making it a success. This is why I believe the High St festivals over the summer have attracted numbers into our town-centre. Pray they go from strength to strength.
That said we have a large number of art students at Glyndwr Uni so if we can kick start a healthy and vibrant Art scene in our town – centre then that cannot be a bad thing. However that should not be at the cost of under-mining the viability of our in-door markets which have been supported over the years by many a Wrexhamite,
Cllr Phil Wynn
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