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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED:- That Councillor Andy Gallanders be appointed as Chair for this meeting.
AGREED:- i) That representatives of the Group be invited to a future meeting to update on their work, how it aligns with that of the Council, how its agenda is developing, and resource and measures value for money. ii) That Officers consult the Civic Leadership Group, with regard to relevant reports should the opportunity arise.
AGREED: - That the Committee note the work programme at Appendix 1.
Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors William Bawldwin, Beryl Blackmore, Gary Brown, Marc Jones, Jeremy Kent, Paul Rogers and Andy Williams.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED:- That Councillor Andy Gallanders be appointed as Chair for this meeting.
In the absence of the Chair and Vice Chair, Councillor Andy Gallanders was nominated as presiding Chair for the meeting. RESOLVED:- That Councillor Andy Gallanders be appointed as Chair for this meeting.
AGREED: That the minutes held on 1 May 2024 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:- Item Agenda 5 – Civic Leaders Group: A group of civic leaders championing Wrexham. Councillor Andy Gallanders – Personal and non-Prejudicial – the Councillor’s business was a supplier to the Wrexham business awards. The Councillor remained in the meeting taking part in the discussion and voting thereon.
Members of the Committee agreed that item 5 be brought forward and taken at this time.
Decision as recorded
AGREED:- i) That representatives of the Group be invited to a future meeting to update on their work, how it aligns with that of the Council, how its agenda is developing, and resource and measures value for money. ii) That Officers consult the Civic Leadership Group, with regard to relevant reports should the opportunity arise.
The Chief Officer Governor and Customer submitted a report (COGC/50/24S) asking Members to consider the background of and progress made by the Civic Leaders Group (CLG) in Wrexham. The Regeneration and Investment Business Lead introduced the report and highlighted the main points within it. Mr Spencer Harris and Maria Hinfelaar representing the CLG, provided an overview presentation of the group’s purpose and activities outlined below: · Context/content, the Civic Leaders Group · Who are the Volunteers in the Civic Leaders Group? · The Civic Leaders Group – Meeting Governance, Decision making, political allegiances, memorandum of understanding and structure. · Civic Leaders Group timeline and the Work of the Civic Leaders Group. · Wrexham’s Common Purpose and PER Property Group, Place making Strategy. · Active Advocates in Growing Eco-System of Wrexham Champions and What next? The following was discussed: · Members were informed that the £70k funding for the Group was used for the creation of a high quality common purpose prospectus which involved marketing, research and photography. The photography was also used for the city of culture bid, whilst the research was used to inform the City of Culture bid and the Placemaking Plan. · That the project included the development of a brand for Wrexham to promote the town and county locally up to the national stage. · Half of the £70k was funded by Welsh Government and the remainder of the funding was provided between Glyndwr University, Coleg Cambria and Wrexham Council. · The CLG does not have a formal budget and does not procure projects directly. · Meetings were hosted and catered by whichever organisation was hosting, resulting in no cost to the CLG. · The Chair of the CLG rotates within the Group membership. · Members attend the CLG meetings during the evenings and attend them in their own time. · There are vacancies in the CLG and their representatives stated that they would like to have representation from Wrexham AFC and other organisations, including the Health Board, on the Group. Anyone who had ‘an absolute, burning passion for Wrexham’ would be welcomed. · Creating the Wrexham Business Awards was a great achievement and it was about using local suppliers and venues. · As CLG progressed towards the Business Awards this year the CLG hoped the awards would be even more successful. · It was explained that the CLG operated under a Memorandum of Understanding, but did not constitute a formal legal status. The group comprised of 10 to 15 members from different sectors, met six times per year and the membership of the CLG was by invite only. · Decision-making within the CLG was mainly consensual, with no need for formal voting. · The CLG marketing project funding was channelled through Glyndwr University’s finance Department and procurement process because it was a convenient vehicle to process the funding. · The CLG group is not an elected body and is not a political pressure campaigning group and it does not formally represent Wrexham residents. · The CLG is a voluntary, non-political network aimed at leveraging the expertise and connections of its members to benefit Wrexham County. · Maintaining independence from political influences is crucial for the group’s effectiveness. CLG Members do not stand for political nomination, which helps to ensure that the CLG’s focus remains on benefiting Wrexham rather than advancing any political agendas. · The Group want to see Wrexham reach its full potential and want the very best for Wrexham and its residents. · Members discussed the Common Purpose booklet that had been successfully developed by the CLG whereby it shared the vision for Wrexham’s development and was used to attract support and investment from stakeholders, including the Welsh Government. · Members discussed the 19-21 demographics where 11% in that age specific range across North Wales are not in education, employment or training (NEET) and the need for work to be undertaken by all means to address this. · It was acknowledged that public health was linked to people’s low achievement and that perceived barriers needed to be reduced where people needed to be encouraged to better themselves. · The focus of the CLG was on the City Centre and that future work would be radiating around Wrexham more widely. · Members acknowledged the CLG’s contributions to Wrexham Council’s development and expressed an interest in continuing to work collaboratively with them where possible. AGREED:- i) That representatives of the Group be invited to a future meeting to update on their work, how it aligns with that of the Council, how its agenda is developing, and resource and measures value for money. ii) That Officers consult the Civic Leadership Group, with regard to relevant reports should the opportunity arise.
Decision as recorded
AGREED: - That the Committee note the work programme at Appendix 1.
The Chief Officer for Governance and Customer submitted a report (COG/48/24) asking Members to consider the revised work programme of the Employment Business and Investment Scrutiny Committee. The Scrutiny Facilitator presented the work programme and highlighted the main points within it. The following was discussed: A Member raised concern regarding the issue about young people who were not in education and training (NEET) and it was noted that the figure across North Wales was 11% and this raised concern. It was noted that a tackling poverty report will be considered in the near future and this matter could be addressed in that report and if required specific areas could be addressed via a topic selection form. AGREED: - That the Committee note the work programme at Appendix 1.
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.
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