In partnership with Wrexham County Borough Council we are assessing whether there is a demand for swimming lessons to be provided through the medium of Welsh.  

We found that most of the respondents would prefer swimming lessons delivered in Welsh. 

We are working with Freedom leisure to recruite a Welsh speaking swimming instructor but also looking at training existing staff to learn Welsh in partnership with Coleg Cambria to use in the workplace.    

Every four years Wrexham County Borough Council are required to publish an Equality Plan.  This Plan needs to include equalities objectives for each of the protected characteristics included in the Equality Act 2010.

Our Equality Plan needs to be clear about what progress or success against our objectives will look like.  We need to consider relevant equality information in order to develop our objectives,  we also need to outline the steps we will take to meet our objectives.

The consultation told us that in the main the areas we were considering could be areas of inequality, however, some of these were things that the Council could not have much influence over, or work to address any inequality was already underway by ourselves as part of our council priorities, by our partners - for example, health partners or the work of the Wrexham Public Services Board.  We did not wish this plan to duplicate the work of others, but to add value and make a real difference to people's lives.

More information on the Council Plan can be found here: The Council Plan and on the Wrexham Public Services Board website here: Wrexham Public Service Board. 

We also found we needed to be more specific in our objectives – therefore this helped us to refine and really focus our objectives on the things that we as a local authority can really make a difference to.

A summary of findings from all the consultation can be found in Appendix B of our Strategic Equality Plan and information on how the equality objectives changed as a result of this can be found at Appendix C of our Strategic Equality Plan.

Actions were developed to outline how we will achieve the objectives of our Strategic Equality Plan 2020-24, and performance measures developed to show how we will know that what we are doing is working.  These are shown in the information about each objective in our Strategic Equality Plan 2020-24.

Wrexham Council has declared a climate and environmental emergency. Book your place now to have your say on what the Council has been doing, and help us to develop your ideas on how individuals, communities and organisations can work together to build a strong response for the future.

Places are limited, so please book by 5pm on Thursday 19th March 2020.

Date and Time

4pm – 6pm, Tuesday 24^th March 2020

Location

The Council Chamber, Guildhall, Wrexham LL11 1AY

A focus group was scheduled for Tuesday 24th March, but this consultation event did not take place.due to the commencement of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.  The consultation could potentially be undertaken as a virtual event and will hopefully be rescheduled in the future.  

Wrexham County Borough Council provides many services to you, whether you live here, work here or are just visiting, such as: schools, waste collection, social care, council housing, planning services, roads, museums, country parks and trading standards.

Our vision for the future is that all the people that live here are supported to fulfil their potential, prosper and achieve a high standard of well-being.  We will be a strong and inclusive community leader to help make this happen. 

Our Council Plan

This Council Plan outlines what our priorities will be up to March 2023 to help us achieve our vision and to contribute to Wales’ Well-being Goals.  These are the services we will be focussing most on improving and which we believe will have the most benefit to you if we get right.   

Our other important services will still be delivered but details about those will be included within our internal business and service plans.  We will also be continuing to work on key areas that underpin all of our work across the Council – areas such as anti-poverty, equality and the Welsh Language.

Our six priorities are:

• Developing the economy
• Ensuring a modern and resilient council
• Ensuring everyone is safe
• Improving secondary education
• Improving the environment
• Promoting good health and well-being

To read the full draft Council Plan click here.

Tell us what you think

It is proposed that these six priorities will be our priorities for the next three years, therefore we are keen to hear your opinions about the focus of each of these priorities to make sure your views are taken into account as we finalise our plan.  We would also like to know what you think about the Council Plan as a whole and if you think it will help us to deliver our vision that all the people that live here are supported to fulfil their potential, prosper and achieve a high standard of well-being.  This consultation is open from 4th February to 17th March.

What happens next? 

 Once this consultation closes, the results will be analysed and the findings used to finalise our Council Plan 2020 – 2023 which will be presented to Council in May 2020 for approval. We will ensure that we feedback to you the results of the consultation at that time.

The survey asked respondents to read a description of each priority and of the areas of focus for 2020-23. Respondents were then asked to what extent they agreed that identified areas of focus for 2020-23 would achieve each priority.

Respondents were also asked to what extent they agreed that delivering all six of the priorities would enable the Council to meet its vision that all people living in Wrexham County Borough are supported to fulfil their potential, prosper and achieve a high standard of living.

There were 98 responses overall - this is a low response rate and not all respondents answered every question / fully completed the survey.  We think this might be for a number of reasons – because of the recent consultation on the six priority areas in summer 2019, there were no proposals about any specific service changes or cuts, as well as the emerging Covid 19 situation. 

For each priority, there are clear areas of focus which the large majority of respondents strongly agreed or agreed would contribute to achieving the priority.  Additionally, more people strongly agree or agree than strongly disagree or disagree that almost all the identified areas of focus will contribute to achieving the priorities. 

The single area of focus which the majority of respondents strongly disagreed or disagreed would meet a priority was ‘Welsh language’ for Priority 2 – Ensuring a Modern and Resilient Council (30% strongly disagree or disagree, 21% strongly agree or agree).  This correlates with the profile of respondents to the survey overall, only two of whom indicated that they spoke Welsh.  The council is, nevertheless, required to meet the legislative requirements of the Welsh Language Standards.

A report detailing the findings is available here.

Analysis of comments received from respondents offers a range of suggestions and ideas as to how the council’s priorities could be achieved.

The findings of the survey have been used to further develop the detail within the proposed priorities.  The Council had been due to consider the Plan for approval at its meeting in May 2020, however the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has delayed this process and approval is now expected in Autumn 2020.  The agreed Council Plan will be available on the Council’s website.

Wrexham Council currently has a dog control and dog fouling PSPO which cover the entire County Borough. It is due for renewal as it ends on 1st March 2020. The intention is to renew and update the current PSPO covering the County Borough.

The existing dog fouling requirements for owners to remove their dog’s faeces forthwith from public areas, the exclusion zones for dogs on bowling greens, marked sports pitches and  play areas (apart from owners with assisted dogs) , the dogs on a lead by direction which allows an Authorised Officer to instruct owners to place and keep a dog on a lead when necessary, dogs to be on a lead on public roads and pavements and to be kept on a lead around defined areas of parks such as visitor centres and car parks will all continue.  

In addition it is proposed to include a condition that requires a person who is in control of a dog, to be carrying an appropriate receptacle or bag to remove their dog’s faeces forthwith.

We are therefore contacting you as part of the required consultation process, we encourage you to look at the prohibitions suggested in the enclosed order and would be interested in your views on the matter.

The consultation period will be open on the 30 January 2020 and will close on the 27 February 2020, therefore please ensure any representations are made by this date.

If you would like to provide the feedback to the proposed Order in writing, stating the reasons for your views or objections, email for the attention of: joanne.rodgers@wrexham.gov.uk  or by post to The Chief Officer Environment and Technical Services Department, Wrexham County Borough Council, The Guildhall, Wrexham, LL11 1RA

Alternatively, If you have any comments regarding the proposed Dog Control and Dog Fouling PSPO then please click here.

This statutory consultation indicated broad support for proposals for the renewal of the Dog Control and Dog Fouling Public Spaces Protection Order, including the new condition for the person who is in control of the dog(s) to be carrying an appropriate bag or receptacle for the removal of any faeces that their dog may deposit. Some concern was expressed over the specific type of bags that should be carried, ability to enforce effectively and lack of bin provision in the County Borough.

The Dog Control and Dog Fouling Public Spaces Protection Order was renewed, and the new condition for the person who is in control of the dog(s) to be carrying an appropriate bag or receptacle for the removal of any faeces that their dog may deposit, was implemented.

For further details, please see the Executive Board report of 8th September 2020.

Who is this consultation aimed at?

If you have an interest in the future of North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, then this consultation is aimed at you. 

Every year, before deciding on its plan for the following year, North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority invites comments on a particular subject.  The ideas, insights and different points of view that people contribute can be really helpful for making sure that the Authority’s plan for the following year is a good one. 

You don’t need to be an expert in environmental issues to respond.  All that the Authority asks is that you think seriously about the issues and submit your views, ideas or information by the deadline. 

What is this consultation about?

This year the Authority is asking about developing a long-term Environment and Sustainability Strategy.  What do you think that Strategy should include?  What should be at the forefront of the Authority’s thinking in terms of planning for the next 20 or 30 years?  What ideas do you have for the services that it might provide in the next decades?

Looking back over the past 30 years, we have seen significant changes in how people live and also what local people expect to contribute towards, and receive from, public services.  What do you think is likely to happen over the next 30 years?  Is there anything specific to North Wales that needs to be considered?

Climate change, environmental responsibility, social responsibility…what would you like to see in the Fire and Rescue Service’s plans for the future?  Everyone knows that it is a Service that has changed and adapted to a great extent over the years.  But waiting until the last minute before reacting is rarely the best way of doing things, which is why the Authority needs to plan ahead with an adaptable long-term strategy. 

We hope you find the information provided useful and that this will encourage you to submit your views before 31 December 2019. Details on how to respond are available at the end of the document.

Due to the decisions made by Government, Wrexham Council has had to make huge changes to the things we do and the way we work which have meant we’ve cut our budget by over £62m since the economic crisis in 2007/2008 – this is the same as over 25% of our current budget of £237m and means we have reduced our number of employees by over 600 people.  We have done this by becoming more efficient and have tried, wherever possible, not to reduce the range of services we provide. 

Unfortunately, the money that the UK and Welsh Government gives to us (which is about 3/4 of our entire funding) is already below the Welsh average per person and this year we are again expecting further reductions.  We are estimating that we will be around £9.8m short of what we need over the next two years – with £5.4m of this needed next year.  However, because of the uncertainty with politics and government at the moment, we won’t know the exact amount that we’re being given until November.  This depends on what the governments in the UK and Wales decide is important to them – but there is a chance that that the budget shortfall will increase to approximately £7.2m for next year.

Putting it simply, we are no longer in a position where we can continue to do everything we did five years ago and we are now beyond a tipping point – meaning we have no other option but to stop or reduce service delivery when the budget is being reduced by so much.  Due to the level of cuts being imposed on us by Welsh Government, we are left making unthinkable decisions, which will impact on residents.  We do not want to do this.

We will continue to lobby the UK and Welsh Governments until the point they realise they cannot keep cutting public services and we will do everything we can to support key frontline services, whilst continuing to review other areas to look for any last efficiencies we can find.

More than 1,384 people took part in the consultation and gave their views about the proposals we made, as well as making some suggestions of their own.

We'd like to thank everyone who took part for their time.

The results from the consultation were presented to Elected Members in order to shape the decisions they made about Wrexham County Borough Council's budget for 2020/21.

Under the Representation of the People Act 1983, the Council has a duty to divide its area into polling districts and to designate a polling place for each district.  It also has to keep these arrangements under review. The Electoral Administration Act 2006 introduced a duty on all local authorities in Great Britain to review their polling districts and polling places.

The responses to the consultation were considered at a meeting of the Council held on 18 December 2019.  No changes were made to the polling districts, but some changes were agreed in respect of some polling stations.  A list of these changes with the reasons is included in the document below.  You can access the full report to Council here https://moderngov.wrexham.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=128&MId=4754 

The revised lists of polling districts and polling stations in are outlied in the documents below. 

../UploadedFiles/Adolygiad Dosbarthiadau Etholiadol a Mannau Pleidleisio – Newidiadau (4).pdf

../UploadedFiles/Electoral District Reviews and Polling Places – Changes (1).pdf

../UploadedFiles/Etholiadol a Mannau Pleidleisio De Clwyd(1).pdf

../UploadedFiles/Etholiadol a Mannau Pleidleisio Wrecsam(1).pdf

../UploadedFiles/Polling Places and Polling Districts Clwyd South(1).pdf

../UploadedFiles/Polling Places and Polling Districts Wrexham(1).pdf

Alternative suitable polling stations have been found where existing ones have become unavailable or have been identified as no longer suitable which will give residents better access in future elections.

The Senedd yr Ifanc is the Wrexham Youth Parliament, we work with young people aged 11-25 to improve and work on issues that affect the young people in Wrexham.

Every two years we consult with young people in Wrexham to identify the top issue that the Senedd yr Ifanc will be working on for 2020-2022.

Senedd yr Ifanc  Biennial Ballot Results 2019

The Senedd yr Ifanc Wrexham (Wrexham Youth Parliament) represents young people in Wrexham.

Their priority is to ensure the opinions of the young people are heard, especially when decisions are being made that affect them. In order to help them do this work the Senedd yr Ifanc have asked young people of Wrexham what they felt were the most important issues affecting them. The top issue will be worked on by the Senedd yr Ifanc over the next 2 years.

What we found out

The young people felt that Our Environment – aiming to reduce single use plastics and lower our carbon foot print in Wrexham was the priority the young people wanted the senedd Yr Ifanc to focus on. 

This consultation has led to another 2 further consultations to find out more about how the young people want the Senedd yr Ifanc to move forward. The final focus will be on community clean ups and this work is now in development.

Under the Representation of the People Act 1983, the Council has a duty to divide its area into polling districts and to designate a polling place for each district.  It also has to keep these arrangements under review. The Electoral Administration Act 2006 introduced a duty on all local authorities in Great Britain to review their polling districts and polling places.

The responses to the consultation were considered at a meeting of the Council held on 18 December 2019.  No changes were made to the polling districts, but some changes were agreed in respect of some polling stations.  A list of these changes with the reasons is included in the document below.  You can access the full report to Council here https://moderngov.wrexham.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=128&MId=4754

The revised lists of polling districts and polling stations are outlined in the documents below. 

../UploadedFiles/Adolygiad Dosbarthiadau Etholiadol a Mannau Pleidleisio – Newidiadau (5).pdf

../UploadedFiles/Electoral District Reviews and Polling Places – Changes (2).pdf

../UploadedFiles/Etholiadol a Mannau Pleidleisio De Clwyd(2).pdf

../UploadedFiles/Etholiadol a Mannau Pleidleisio Wrecsam(2).pdf

../UploadedFiles/Polling Places and Polling Districts Clwyd South(2).pdf

../UploadedFiles/Polling Places and Polling Districts Wrexham(2).pdf

Alternative suitable polling stations have been found where existing ones have become unavailable or have been identified as no longer suitable which will give residents better access in future elections.

Alternative suitable polling stations have been found where existing ones have become unavailable or have been identified as no longer suitable which will give residents better access in future elections.