Brymbo’s Councillor Paul Rogers steps down from Executive Board

A senior councillor has announced he will be stepping down from his position on the Council’s Executive Board.

Conservative Councillor Paul Rogers, who represents the Brymbo ward, has announced he will no longer continue in his role as Lead Member for Youth Services and Anti-poverty.

Cllr Rogers served on the Executive Board since May 2017, however it has been confirmed that he will step down from the board on grounds of work commitments and spending more time on ward issues.

He will continue on in his position as local councillor for Brymbo.

The move will also see him effectively take a voluntary £15k pay cut as he returns to the normal councillor salary.

Cllr Rogers pointed out there had been a number of reasons for his decision, some personal, but also with a number of ward issues and positive projects such as the local redevelopment of the Brymbo Steel Works he wanted to focus on, he felt the decision was right.

Cllr Rogers told us: “When I was re-elected last year my priority was to serve the residents of my community and at this moment in time there are a number of issues within the ward which require my full attention.”

Cllr Rogers had also indicated he was unimpressed about possible proposals for gypsy and traveller sites in the forthcoming Local Development Plan (LDP). The LDP was due to be part of the documentation released today ahead of next week’s Executive Board however has mysteriously been bumped until next month’s meeting.

If the LDP had been on the agenda, Cllr Rogers would have likely been put in a position to either vote for or against it, with the Executive Board often opting for a collective decision – so by stepping down ahead of what was to be the vote it means avoiding direct conflict with fellow Executive Board members.

Council Leader, Mark Prichard said: “I would like to extend by thanks to Paul for all his efforts since he joined the Executive Board last year and for his dedication to his role as Lead member for People – Youth Services and Anti-Poverty.

“I am sorry to see Paul step down from the Executive Board but understand his reasons for doing so.”

Leader of the Conservative Group and Deputy Leader of Wrexham Council, Cllr Hugh Jones told Wrexham.com: “The Conservative Group expresses our sincere thanks to Paul Rogers for his excellent work on the Executive Board.”

Cllr Rogers added: “It has been a pleasure to work as part of the Executive Board in particular overseeing a major investment in leisure facilities across the County and securing the future of the Council’s Sports Awards.”

“I would like to thank the Council Leader and colleagues for all their support and look forward to working with then in the future.”