First Minister tells councillors to ‘repair the damage that has been done’ with officers as ‘yet further uncertainty’ over LDP

The First Minister has referred to ‘yet further uncertainty’ around the Local Development Plan adoption, having thought ‘that sorry story had been put to bed’.

The Local Development Plan (LDP) blueprint, which sets out where thousands of homes will likely be built in the county borough over the next few years, has proved long controversial with two previous votes in Wrexham going against adoption.

The plan was finally formally adopted following extraordinary scenes in the Guildhall with a boycott of the vote by some councillors, after firm legal advice that contained a blunt warning of jail, and a Judge quashing the previous no vote. ‌​‌‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌​‌‌‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌‌​​‍‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌​​‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‌​​

A second failed judicial review was also attempted by three mystery senior councillors and subsequently pulled – although the identities were accidentally revealed via our FOI.

A recent ‘crowdjustice’ fundraising effort hit its target of over £7000 to fund the exploration of a legal challenge to the adoption of the LDP, something Wrexham.com understands is now underway with Wrexham Council being given relevant paperwork last week.

Wrexham.com asked Wrexham Council if they had been in receipt of such correspondence, and if councillors would be informed. We also asked if further costs would be incurred, and what happens now from the council’s point of view.

Wrexham Council responded “no comment”.

The First Minister Mark Drakeford appeared to reference the fresh legal challenge process effort yesterday after the subject was raised in First Minister Questions when Altaf Hussain MS asked him about Welsh Government plans around housing for the future.

The debate covered Local Development Plans, population rise predictions, lack of affordable housing and how mortgages could mean money flowing out of Wales.

The long documented issues in Wrexham came to the floor when Clwyd South MS Ken Skates asked, “In order to deliver more social housing, we need to have effective planning systems in place across local authorities. Tory Members would do well to learn lessons from what’s happened at Wrexham County Borough Council, where many of their politicians, their councillors, decided to vote against an LDP that they presided over.

“Now, First Minister, wouldn’t you agree that it’s time to put this sorry saga behind us, to move on for the sake of the county borough, and in order to deliver more social homes for people who desperately need them?”

The First Minister, who has famously been highly critical of Wrexham Council leadership previously, did not hold back in his response, “Well, I thank Ken Skates for that question. The Member asked me a question about the Wrexham LDP only a couple of weeks ago, and I remember saying, at that time, that I hoped, now, that sorry story had been put to bed and that, finally, the local authority was complying with its legal obligations under the direction of the High Court.

“It’s a great shame to me to learn that there is yet further uncertainty now being introduced into that picture.”

The First Minister then referenced a highly critical report before a meeting of the local Audit committee on Thursday – our preview article here.

The FM said, “That is particularly unfortunate against the background of the Audit Wales report into planning services at the council that was published only a week or so ago. It has a very sad story to tell of the fractured relationship between members and officers at that local authority, and the significant risks that have been created to the council and, therefore, to people who live in that county borough, as a result of a breakdown in those relationships.

“The members of that council would be well advised to attend to the recommendations of this report and the responsibilities that lie with them not to try to encourage illegal ways of behaving, but to repair the damage that has been done by their failure to do so in recent weeks.”

Top pic: LDP maps.