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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
AGREED:- i) That the report on Ty Pawb future delivery model and business plan be considered at the April 2023 meeting. ii) That the forthcoming report on Business Support also include details of the current provision.
AGREED: i) That a further report on development of SMART Towns be considered in 6 months, to present details of the original digital review progress, future plans and partnership engagement. ii) That Community Councils be engaged with, with a view to their involvement in the development of this work in their communities. iii) That an All Member Workshop be held on this issue, at the appropriate time.
Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillor Stella Matthews. Councillor Paul Rogers and Councillor Paul Williams was absent.
That the Minutes of the Meeting held on Wednesday 7 December 2022 be signed as a correct record.
Members were reminded of their responsibility, under Paragraph 11 of the Members’ Code of Conduct, to declare any interests in relation to any of the business to be transacted at this meeting. The following declarations were made: Agenda Item 5 - Councillor Andy Gallanders – Personal and not Prejudicial – The Councillor runs a business in the Wrexham City Centre. The Councillor remained in the meeting taking part in the discussion and voting thereon.
Decision as recorded
AGREED:- i) That the report on Ty Pawb future delivery model and business plan be considered at the April 2023 meeting. ii) That the forthcoming report on Business Support also include details of the current provision.
The Chief Officer Governance & Customer submitted a report (COGC/05/23s) asking Members to consider the Committee’s Work Programme. The Scrutiny Facilitator presented the report and informed Members that the Ty Pawb Board’s proposed future delivery model and business plan, currently unscheduled on the work programme, could be considered at the April 2023 meeting. A Member requested that the Business Support report that was scheduled for February 2023 also include details of the current provision. AGREED:- i) That the report on Ty Pawb future delivery model and business plan be considered at the April 2023 meeting. ii) That the forthcoming report on Business Support also include details of the current provision.
Decision as recorded
AGREED: i) That a further report on development of SMART Towns be considered in 6 months, to present details of the original digital review progress, future plans and partnership engagement. ii) That Community Councils be engaged with, with a view to their involvement in the development of this work in their communities. iii) That an All Member Workshop be held on this issue, at the appropriate time.
(Members declarations of interest to this item are set out in Minute number 33 above). The Chief Officer for Economy and Planning submitted a report (COEP/12/23) that provided an overview of the early stages of the SMART Towns Project in Wrexham and sought views that would support the ongoing development of the SMART approaches that would add value to the Council’s Place making activities. The Lead Member for Economy and re-generation introduced the report and highlighted the main points within it. The Smart Towns Development Officer gave a presentation that focused on SMART Cities and the Wrexham SMART Towns Project which included information regarding LoRaWan (Long Range Wide Angled Network), Sensors and their uses, Dashboard displaying information, Flood monitoring, Cisco Meraki sensors, Digital Screens, Wrexham’s Vision for this technology and Wrexham Footfall Data 2019 -22. Councillor Clive Davies of Ceredigion County Council was welcomed to the meeting and he gave a presentation that provided Members with a background to their SMART town initiatives which covered: · How Ceredigion Town used the European grant funding for their SMART project. · The implementation of the Mobile phone App. · Challenges regarding their local economy and events. · Links and collaboration with Community Councils. · Use of analytics which measured and provided data regarding tourism. · How sensors were being used for different purposes. · The potential for businesses to use the realised data to improve their offer to customers. Members asked a number of questions which were responded to accordingly, and the following points were highlighted during the detailed debate: · The Digital Place Plan had five key stages, with it currently being at the first stage which was categorised as ‘the getting started phase’. · The SMART Towns Project is aligned with economic regeneration and the Place Making Plan. · The SMART Town Development Officer was employed from August 2022 and his post had been grant funded for three years. · SMART technology could make Wrexham more attractive for visitors, as it would enable businesses to use the information to improve their offers. · Members were assured that the Cisco Meraki system had a life span of ten years. · The SMART Towns approach also included consideration for improved connectivity and this was part of the SMART Towns Development Officers remit. · Technology and connectivity resulting from the SMART project could also be rolled out to the rural areas. · The possible role of collaboration between the project and Community Councils as demonstrated by Ceredigion’s experience. · Ceredigion Town had used Wi-Fi and LoRaWAN in their rural areas. · Members highlighted the benefits of monitoring air purity within the Wrexham City Centre and how this could be promoted to entice visitors there. · The SMART Towns project was committed to significant engagement activity and the SMART Towns Development Officer and the Council’s Business Support team will be engaging with Wrexham businesses to understand the related opportunities. · Members raised concerned regarding the WIFI connectivity within the City Centre where network coverage and WIFI required improvement. Works were underway to address this. · Officers were currently scoping a Dashboard system that would pull all of the data sources and data sets together, in legible formats. An evolution of the Dashboard could be accessed by businesses in real-time and as further developed could allow for tiered access, giving the option of offering paid content. · The Spring Board footfall monitoring system will be retained. · The Cisco Meraki units will provide more layers of information. · Improvement of network coverage in the City Centre will assist with the application for the City of Culture Bid. · There was an application to secure additional footfall counters to provide wider coverage of the City Centre, along with new LoRaWAN Gateways and sensors. Officers confirmed that the application had been approved but they were waiting to receive written confirmation. · The Wrexham Hello World App had not been operational and no relevant or timely data could now be derived from it. It could be used as a starting point for any App. · Officers were currently liaising with providers regarding the improvement of network coverage in the city centre. AGREED: i) That a further report on development of SMART Towns be considered in 6 months, to present details of the original digital review progress, future plans and partnership engagement. ii) That Community Councils be engaged with, with a view to their involvement in the development of this work in their communities. iii) That an All Member Workshop be held on this issue, at the appropriate time.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
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