Statutory Notices and Wrexham Football Traffic

[WrexhamUser]

The question Insp. Hughes had failed to consider during his deliberations on road closures during football matches ‘Are they legal’?

Wrexham.com has often covered various problems about Wrexham Council’s attitude towards Statutory Notices, so I will not reiterate their comments. In summary, the notices have limited visibility, and many people’s understanding of them is minimal.

A pre-planned road closure requires a publicised Statutory notice. However, where are the notices published for the football matches and events at the Racecourse? If you ask a council officer, you are directed to a website. However, the website showed no notice for any of the football matches or events last year.

The police have powers to close roads, but these are emergency powers and do not cover pre-planned events. Consequently, if the police rely on their powers the legitimacy is questionable.

The possible issues to consider are:

1. The Statutory noticed have not been correctly completed by the council and the closures unlawful.

2. The notices are so poorly published they are difficult to find. This supports the comments made by Wrexham.com

3. If the notices have not been correctly completed by the council thek police are acting unlawfully, either unknowingly, or knowingly and relying on people’s ignorance of the law to enforce the closures.

[pete]

For short notice and short durations I don’t think a closure needs to be advertised via the usual routes.

For something planned, and repeating I would expect the full traffic order process to need to be followed . Cheshire West do for Chester Races.

But this shows how much of a shambles the whole system is. Utility contractors can just turn up and close roads off for planned work with no notice or warning to the public and Wrexham Council let them get away with it.
Wrexham Council used to email a weekly list with all the planned closures, lane restrictions and temporary traffic lights but they stopped it which further keeps the public in the dark.
Same with the weekly planning list which means industrial developments in residential areas are getting through planning because nobody saw the A4 notice at the back of the site so nobody knew it was happening.

[parkingmad]

Was it any better after todays match, I go down Maesgwyn road so miss everything, Think their was a vehicle parked across the Premier inn stopping tracfic leaving the carpark and a police van by Crispin lane

[Author]

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