Council Grant Cut Decision Still Hitting Wrexham Hard Says MP

Proposals by Wrexham Council to reconsider its approach to homeless people have been welcomed by the town’s MP this week.

However, Wrexham MP Ian Lucas has said that certain council decisions in the past, such as the scrapping of a grant to the homeless advice and support charity Shelter, have not helped the situation in the town.

He spoke out after councillors met recently to consider a report which suggests a rehaul of the way that homelessness is dealt with within the council as the number of people approaching the council for help increases.

“It is clear from the cases I have been dealing with as an MP that there has been an increase in the number of people facing difficult times in the past 18 months” said Mr Lucas.

“The council are clearly feeling that pressure and the proposals they are considering to rehaul the services they offer to homeless people, or to those facing homelessness, are a welcome first step.”

He added: “The team of officers who deal with homeless people are dedicated and, as the recent report to the Social Affairs, Health and Housing Scrutiny Committee shows, they are dealing well with a major increase in their workload. With the current state of the economy and rising unemployment, this is only to be expected.

“However, with such a predictable increase on the horizon, the decision by Wrexham councillors last year to scrap a grant to Shelter increasingly looks like a crucial mistake. The advice provided by Shelter would have helped lessen the pressure on the council service and its axing seems to be an increasingly short-sighted decision.”