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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 Wrexham Gateway Delivery Plan be considered at May 2025. ii) That the Application for UK City of Culture 2029 be considered at June 2025. iii) That Ty Pawb and Markets be considered at July 2025. iv) That the information report in respect of the Visitor Information Centre be incorporated into the Ty Pawb and Markets report. v) That the Safeguarding, Communities and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee are considering a related report on Child Poverty at their January 2025 meeting. Following this, it will be possible to update on a proposed date for the scheduling of the Anti-Poverty Strategy.
AGREED:- i) That the Executive Board review the future delivery model for the role of SMART City Development Officer, given the significant cost benefits it delivers, and report back to this committee. ii) That the future update report on this matter include details of Departmental buy into the SMART agenda and include Departmental projects under consideration. iii) That the innovation opportunities discussed during the meeting be reported into the change programme for consideration.
Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Gary Brown and Corin Jarvis.
AGREED: That the minutes held on 4 December 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 6- SMART Towns Initiative Councillor Andy Gallanders – Personal and non-Prejudicial – the Councillor was a business owner in the City Centre. The Councillor remained in the meeting taking part in the discussion and voting thereon.
Decision as recorded
AGREED:- i) That the Wrexham Gateway Delivery Plan be considered at May 2025. ii) That the Application for UK City of Culture 2029 be considered at June 2025. iii) That Ty Pawb and Markets be considered at July 2025. iv) That the information report in respect of the Visitor Information Centre be incorporated into the Ty Pawb and Markets report. v) That the Safeguarding, Communities and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee are considering a related report on Child Poverty at their January 2025 meeting. Following this, it will be possible to update on a proposed date for the scheduling of the Anti-Poverty Strategy.
The Chief Officer for Governance and Customer submitted a report (COGC/01/25) asking Members to consider the revised work programme of the Employment, Business and Investment Scrutiny Committee attached at Appendix 1. The Scrutiny Facility Officer presented the report, highlighting key points regarding the work program. Following discussions between the chair, vice-chair, lead members, and relevant officers, proposed scheduling for future reports is as follows: · The Wrexham Gateway plan in May, the UK City of Culture 2029 application in June, and the Markets report in July. · Regarding the anti-poverty strategy, a related report will be presented at the Safeguarding Communities and Well-being meeting in January. Once this is concluded, a schedule for reporting back to the committee will be determined. The following was discussed:- · It was clarified that individual components of the Economic Prosperity strategy will be presented at each meeting, not as a single report, allowing the committee to provide input on each part before it is agreed for approval by the Executive Board. · A Member requested for the Visitor Information Centre report, agreed upon in December 2022, to be included in the July report on Ty Pawb and Markets. AGREED:- i) That the Wrexham Gateway Delivery Plan be considered at May 2025. ii) That the Application for UK City of Culture 2029 be considered at June 2025. iii) That Ty Pawb and Markets be considered at July 2025. iv) That the information report in respect of the Visitor Information Centre be incorporated into the Ty Pawb and Markets report. v) That the Safeguarding, Communities and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee are considering a related report on Child Poverty at their January 2025 meeting. Following this, it will be possible to update on a proposed date for the scheduling of the Anti-Poverty Strategy.
Decision as recorded
AGREED:- i) That the Executive Board review the future delivery model for the role of SMART City Development Officer, given the significant cost benefits it delivers, and report back to this committee. ii) That the future update report on this matter include details of Departmental buy into the SMART agenda and include Departmental projects under consideration. iii) That the innovation opportunities discussed during the meeting be reported into the change programme for consideration.
Members declarations of interest in relation to this item are set out in Minute 25 above). The Chief Officer for Economy and Planning submitted a report (COEP/12/25) asking members to consider the progress made in progressing the SMART Towns initiative. The Lead Member for Lead Member for Economy, Business and Tourism introduced the report and highlighted the main points within it. Dave Evans, the Council's Smart City Development Officer, gave a presentation and an update on progress, covering key areas such as: • The benefits of smart technology and data sharing • Smart furniture and sensor data (e.g., bins, flood, particulate) • Future plans for gateway coverage and smart working • Innovation, leadership, and vision in driving change • The importance of a cultural shift toward smarter working • Empowering people to embrace and understand change. During the debate, the following key points were discussed regarding the Smart Towns project: · The Smart Town initiative started as a regeneration effort to support a number of initiatives. · Initial funding was secured through grants, and the project was expected to be funded for at least two years. · The project will be expanding to include projects in urban villages and rural areas. · Future funding will require collaboration across council departments, partners, and additional grants. The project continues to focus on innovation and efficiency, together with sustainable funding to drive economic growth and improve services. · Key concerns raised included mobile and internet connectivity, and a need to integrate energy and decarbonisation into initiatives. · Members supported the funding for the Smart City Development Officer role through to March 2026 and with a view to exploring permanent resourcing options. · Members emphasised the importance of cross-departmental collaboration. · Efforts were underway to address the poor connectivity at Ty Pawb, via collaboration with a mobile network operator to explore indoor network improvements and participation in Ambition North Wales' 4G+ project aimed at enhancing indoor coverage. · It was proposed to install smart points near the football ground to attract visitors to the City. Concerns were raised about poor mobile connectivity this and the surrounding area. · The Wrexham VISTA app was gaining international use. There are with plans for content enhancement, and work was ongoing · There was a need to engage staff in reducing energy usage. · Whilst smart point installations and connectivity enhancements remain priorities, progress was subject to network operators' investment schedules. · Members discussed the importance of digital signage at key locations, to improve visitor experience. · Whilst initial installations were limited, plans existed to expand digital signage based on available funding and feedback on existing users. · On energy efficiency, the discussion highlighted the potential of smart solutions like timer switches or smart plugs to reduce energy waste. · The need for departmental "smart champions" was raised to promote awareness and adoption of energy-saving measures”. This would be similar to existing champion roles. · Whilst agile and flexible working complicates building usage patterns, technology will balance energy efficiency with operational needs. · Battery-powered sensors in flower beds have a 10-year lifespan and provide cost-effective savings in water usage. Bin sensors typically had a lifespan of around 10 years. Solar benches had a 3-year warranty but, like other equipment, may require maintenance as required. · The smart infrastructure was designed to enhance city centre amenities and be maintained as part of routine council operations. · There was ongoing efforts to integrate energy-saving strategies, including for digital displays and call centre equipment. · All data collected was depersonalised, encrypted, and GDPR-compliant and focused on anonymised metrics. The project’s digital signage was intended to promote local businesses and events, not advertisements, and will display content bilingually in both Welsh and English. · There was a need for informed decisions about lighting based on the specific needs of each building, weighing the security benefits against energy costs. · The idea of mobile smart points Council's Smart City Development was noted, with the officer agreeing that exploring the cost and practicalities of this approach was important for future events, particularly for the City of Culture bid. AGREED:- i) That the Executive Board review the future delivery model for the role of SMART City Development Officer, given the significant cost benefits it delivers, and report back to this committee. ii) That the future update report on this matter include details of Departmental buy into the SMART agenda and include Departmental projects under consideration. iii) That the innovation opportunities discussed during the meeting be reported into the change programme for consideration.
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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