Wrexham’s Mayoral Budget Set To Be Reduced

Wrexham’s Mayoral budget could be slashed by £26,000 if a recommendation is approved by councillors.

In a report due to go before the Executive Board on Tuesday, £1,198,000 worth of proposed savings will be put forward for the next two years.

The position of the Mayor is one that has been regularly raised by councillors and members of the public since the scale of the Council’s cuts first came to light, however very little has actually been done about it in the chamber.

In February’s Full Council meeting, it was proposed that the Mayoral budget was reduced by £50,000 to help make savings, however the recommendation was rejected.

Last October a Freedom of Information request revealed that the total Civic Budget for 2013/14 is £138,613. The FOI also revealed the position costs £135,000 a year. This includes nearly £44,000 spent on transport and almost £10,000 spent on flowers.

In last month’s Executive Board meeting, members were told by Councillor Malcolm King that ‘the proposed reduction in Mayoral costs will be addressed in a future budget report’.

In May at the annual Mayoral ceremony, newly appointed Mayor said: “From my visits as deputy mayor, I have seen that it still brings great pleasure to a lot of people to meet and spend time with their mayor and have them at their events. It is the position of Mayor that counts and and is important for certain people.

“I expect this year will be challenging for the Council and the people of Wrexham, but I hope mine and Glenys’ visits can bring a small ray of sunshine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and there is no doubt in my mind that critics of the Mayoralty mean well.”

Amongst the budget cut proposals, it is also recommended that there is a £50,000 reduction in affordable housing and an £8,000 reduction in contributions to trade union facilities.

Some of the significantly larger cuts proposed are primarily in a review of adult social care, where £444,000 worth of cuts are proposed in a review of short term break facilities. This is alongside a £250,000 review in community living services and £100,000 worth of proposed savings in day and work opportunities services.

It is also proposed that a review of staff meals in community living services could result in cuts of £70,000.

The report is due to go before councillors on Tuesday at 2pm. You can read the full report on the Council website here.