“It could have been handled better” – lessons will be learned from Kop planning kick off

The Kop redevelopment will not be affected by an administrative set back this week, with senior councillors admitting a phone call could have avoided the entire issue.

The fuss has come about following this article by the BBC LDRS on Monday that accurately reports on details published by Wrexham Council over a planning application refusal. ‌​‌‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌‌​​‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌​​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​​

Wrexham Council were asked for comment well before publication, and did not make one. ‌​‌‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌‌​​‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌​​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​​

The article prompted a kick off from football fans unhappy at the council’s decision to refuse the club’s application to vary planning conditions which currently limit the planned 5,500 seat stand to a capacity of 4,900.

We asked the Council Leader Mark Pritchard which bit of the article was inaccurate, or needed a ‘more accurate account of the situation’ to improve it, as one officer said.

Cllr Pritchard said, “I don’t think there was anything wrong with the reporting or that article. I did not see a problem with it.”

Speaking of the Kop planning refusal he added, “Just to let you know Deputy Leader Cllr David Bithell and I, and the lead member, didn’t know anything about it or the decision that was made.

“We have spoken to the Chief Executive on it yesterday. We have talked to him again this morning.

“I think it’s important that we continue having this excellent partnership with the football club.

“Personally and this is my opinion, I think it could have been handled better. Sometimes it is better just to pick up the phone and have a conversation, and we could have got to where we wanted to be.”

“Will it stop the development of the Kop? No. Will they achieve what they want on the capacity numbers? Absolutely.”

“I just feel that the most important thing is communication, as I said even I didn’t know about it. I spoke to the Lead Member and he didn’t know. Could it have been handled better? Yes, it could have. I have spoken to Ian Bancroft (Chief Executive) and I am sure he will be speaking to his senior officers”.

Deputy Leader Cllr David Bithell echoed the comments, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the article. I think it’s correct.

“With the football now, that article went from Chicago to Peckham to Wrexham. Everything that happens with Wrexham AFC is global now, it’s just the brand now, isn’t it?

“There was a lot of comments on social media, and some elected members were not happy with some of the comments. There was nothing wrong with the technical response from the officer.

“Wrexham AFC is politically sensitive because of the obvious global interest. So did the council get it wrong? I don’t think the council got it wrong from a technical point of view, but I think communication wise, it might have been better to pick up the phone to Savils and say ‘You’re not going to achieve what you want and do it in a different way’
unfortunately social media gets carried away with itself”

We noted the minor dig at the now acknowledged factual reporting of the refusal, and ‘social media’ and asked if there was a true close partnership with the council allocated nearly £20m to the project the lack of the quick phone call was more of the issue than pointing figures at media and social media.

Cllr Bithell said, “There are some lessons to be learned really about high profile situations and this is a profile situation. I’m not going to throw people under the bus about whether they should have done this or that, it is what it is now it’s been done.

“You know, there is probably a lesson to be learned today. But, the reality is, the the application that was submitted to the council was probably wrong. So you know, there’s a lesson there for football club as well so I will be open and honest about that, and I don’t like saying that.

“We are trying to work in partnership with the football club. It is just a little bit of miscommunication really.”

Cllr Pritchard added, “The important thing is, we do have a very good working relationship with football club and I’m sure that will continue.

“If you’re not aware of things you can’t deal with them, but I can assure you that if I was aware of it or David or the Chief Executive, we would have made a phone call and had a conversation and we wouldn’t be in this position. But we are in this position and we will move forward together to resolve the issues.

“We continue to work together.”

(Top pic: What might happen soon!)