Lucas & Council Build Bridges As They Look To Fix Town’s Anti-Social Issues

Wrexham Council’s Deputy Leader has spoken of a ‘positive’ meeting with Wrexham MP Ian Lucas to discuss the issues of anti-social behaviour and drug use in the town centre.

Yesterday Mr Lucas met with Cllr Hugh Jones, the relevant Lead Councillor, and Lee Robinson, the Council’s Executive Director for Place and Economy to discuss how to ‘step up efforts’ in tackling the issues facing the town centre.

Anti-social behaviour and issues with New Psychoactive Substances (formerly known as legal highs) in the town centre have been well-documented for several months. All this came to a head in March 2017 after a collection of pictures of Lord Street and Wrexham’s Bus Station dating from 2015 onwards were published online.

Although there has been ‘partnership working’ between several local agencies to help tackle the problem, prior to yesterday’s meeting Mr Lucas said that countless businesses, shoppers and visitors to Wrexham have spoken to him about the “negative impact groups of drug and alcohol users are having on the town centre.”

Previously both Mr Lucas and Cllr Hugh Jones have consistently clashed over the issue of tackling anti-social behaviour in Wrexham, with the most recent being a tit for tat debate breaking out in this month’s Town Centre Forum.

At the time Mr Lucas stated that businesses were being affected daily by the ongoing anti-social behaviour and substance abuse by a minority of individuals. He also called on Wrexham Council to make tackling the issues facing the town centre a ‘top priority’.

Cllr Jones later sent through a statement criticising comments made at the forum by Mr Lucas and countering claims he made in the live streamed hustings we hosted between Wrexham candidates for the General Election.

However as Wrexham.com reported yesterday, a meeting between Mr Lucas and council officials took place to discuss the best way to tackle the issues in the town centre and also the underlying causes.

Statements issued by both Mr Lucas and Cllr Jones after the meeting both described the discussion that took place as “positive”.

Ian Lucas MP said: “It was a positive meeting and everyone around the table recognised the importance of tackling this problem. I made clear to the council that the town centre needs extra resources, and I am confident that that message got through.

“I also made clear that I’m willing to help make the case for action to Ministers. I’ve already raised issues council Officers put to me directly with Ministers, and I will be pushing the Home Office and Department for Work and Pensions directly for action on some of the issues the council raised with me today.”

Cllr Jones added: “We had a very positive meeting with Mr Lucas this morning, and we evidenced the significant amount of partnership work that is currently taking place to address issues of anti-social behaviour in the town centre, and to tackle the long term issues underlying the problem. We also discussed the problems resulting from the current confusing legislative framework.

“Mr Lucas put forward a number of proposals which we are currently exploring and discussed ways of working in partnership with him to bring about change.

“We will continue to address this matter through continued partnership working with agencies such as North Wales Police, the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and others. I look forward to continuing to work with Mr Lucas to address this issue.”