Wrexham Council quietly open 21 day consultation on new 20 MPH limit road exemptions

Wrexham Council have opened a 21 day consultation on roads that will be exempt to the 20MPH roll out in a month’s time – however you probably have missed it!

Wrexham will see the majority of 30MPH roads move to 20MPH zones on the 17 September, however a range of roads will be exempt. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​Part of that exemption process is a public consultation, allowing you the opportunity to object if you wish.

Last Tuesday we asked Wrexham Council about Wrexham’s consultation as Flintshire and Denbighshire had already started asking the public for views. We asked for copies of the public notices to circulate them, and advertise them for free presuming it was a genuine attempt to consult with the people of Wrexham.

Wrexham Council confirmed there was draft copies – ready for publication in a single title.

Wrexham Council did not provide us with copies, so we can’t share them.

They have also not published any more information on the dedicated page on their website, nor is there any further detail online – unlike other authorities. The council point you to the ‘appalling’ Welsh Government map – which for roads affected locally read “This is an Exception by Order road. Orders for this road are the responsibility of Wrexham County Borough Council”.

They did confirm a 21 day consultation began on Friday and will end Friday 25th August 2023.

Previously Lead Member Cllr Hugh Jones told us on 20MPH roll out, “We need to make sure that we give the public as much information as possible”, adding on such notices, “One of the problems we have got with traffic regulation orders is it is expensive, and it is costly – it costs us quite a lot of money to publish these and this is why we try and put composite traffic regulations orders in place. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“We do try through the medium of local members and community councils, make sure the public are aware of what is going on in terms of traffic regulations that affect their local area. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“What we’re doing in terms of putting it in the back page of a newspaper is fulfilling our statutory duty, but there’s still a responsibility on local councillors, as Ross and I will be doing and have been doing, to keep the people in our community informed of what’s going on”.

Welsh Government have indicated they expect each notice of consultation will cost local authorities £2500, and Cllr Jones said cost the wider roll out of the 20MPH scheme locally is ‘going to be approaching half a million’.