New administration looks to form up council plan for next five years

Political discussions will be taking place inside the new Administration over the coming months to firm up the new council plan that will set the direction of the local authority over the coming five years.

Last week the Leader of Wrexham Council gave us a run down of who he had picked for each portfolio and why, plus details were released on what the councillors would be responsible for – although as we probed, the numbers won’t be reduced.

With tomorrow being the first Executive Board meeting of the new five year council term we pointed to his new Deputy Leader’s published ‘aspirations‘ during the recent election campaign, and that not many Independent councillors filled in our Q&A before the vote.

Noting it was perhaps the wrong way round to be asking after an election, we asked if the Administration was one of delivery for projects in the pipeline such as the Gateway / Butcher Market / Levelling Up Bid / Football Museum and other projects, or if there was any new ambitions on the horizon – and what would success look like in five years.

Cllr David A Bithell picked up the point about his ‘aspiration’ list while explaining the election was still quite recent, “They were to look at climate, investing in roads and infrastructure, and stuff like that. Quite a lot probably fit in with 56 elected members of the council, there was nothing new and nothing significant in that. I think what we need to do, myself and Mark as the new group is sit down with our 21 to work out and to review, our aspirations going forward”.

Council Chief Executive Ian Bancroft added, “We have got a new council plan that’s due the beginning of next year, and also a new wellbeing plan. So in essence, from a council perspective, that’s the way we then identify our revised priorities.”

Council Leader Mark Pritchard gave a longer answer, starting with a list that the new Administration wants to ‘get through’, “Starting with housing, we have the largest capital program we’ve ever had in improving the quality of our housing stock of over 11,000 for our tenants.

“This administration is committed to continue that program. So there’ll be improvements in the council stock. We have done the new roofs, facia boards, soffits, kitchens, bathrooms, external work, there’ll be a report coming in the future with regards to new windows, so that will happen.

“With regards to Children’s Services, I think it’s important that we continue to improve the services. We have got the inspections on that, and we’ll continue to do so.

“Education is the same, we need to improve education and continue to improve it and take it forward.

“Looking at other areas such as the Mersey Dee Alliance, it’s so important that we work with our regional partners to draw down money from from Westminster with regards to schemes with reference to hydrogen. A lot of these things will be about regional work not just about Wrexham.

“The North Wales Economic Ambition Board, the investment we’ve got there that will be continued in the areas we have agreed for the money – £240 million from both governments £120 million each. We have a lot of work to do there.

“Then you look at locally what we’ve got to do. The Mold Road redevelopment, the Butcher’s Market, the General Market, the Wrexham Gateway, the Football Museum, the Shared Prosperity Fund, City of Culture – and we haven’t touched on City Status yet which will be really important to us as well. We will have a big day for that, a big presence with that gift being awarded to us.

“The North Wales Growth Bid, the Levelling Up Fund, these are all some of the things we have to deal with now.

“Taking us forward, what we are is an ambitious authority. We will continue to deliver the services and improve.

“Even though all the above is fantastic, the Mersey Dee Alliance, the World Heritage Site – and I have not touched on lots here – but we must not take our eye off the ball on delivering services because at the end of the day, that’s what we do as a council, we deliver services for the people of Wrexham”.

“You asked what we want to do in this administration, we would like to improve all services across the country. We would like to continue to work with regional partners, work with both governments Westminster and Cardiff, and then work on our priorities, which will come through the council plan.”

“The Chief Executive is quite right, we are having discussions now, we have got to have a new council plan for the next five years but it will take probably six months for us to put it together.

“We will have political discussions on, as David said, what are the priorities for this administration? Do we want to invest more money in our social housing stock? Do we want to put more money into roads on resurfacing? Do we want to put more money into the green agenda? Country parks? Do we want to put more money into renewable energy? Do we want to invest more money in electrical vehicles for this kind of stuff? It’s endless.

“That’s what we will do. We’ll have these conversations.

“But, the mantra ‘improving services and delivering services for the people who we represent’ is the most important thing.”

As Cllr Pritchard noted hydrogen we asked him more about that, you can read his answer here.

Top pic: Most of the ruling Administration – the Independents / Conservatives group.