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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
AGREED:- That the Economic Prosperity Strategy be considered at the April and May meetings.
AGREED:- i) That the Lead Member, Officers and External representatives be thanked for the report and their presentation to the Committee. ii) That the outstanding data from Stats Wales be provided to Committee Members for information, when it is issued. iii) That, if possible, the above data be linked into the forthcoming reports on the Economic Development Strategy. iv) That a future update on this service be considered in 2026. That a Member workshop be held on the Corporate Social Responsibility Tool.
Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Beryl Blackmore, Gary Brown, Corin Jarvis, Jon Jolley and Kate Wilkinson.
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:- Support provision to pre-start and existing businesses, as well as businesses looking to relocate to the County Borough 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.
AGREED: That the minutes held on 4 December 2024 be signed as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
AGREED:- That the Economic Prosperity Strategy be considered at the April and May meetings.
The Chief Officer for Governance and customer submitted a report (COGC/20/25) asking members to consider the revised work programme of the Employment, Business and Investment Scrutiny Committee attached at Appendix 1. The Scrutiny Facilitator Officer presented the report, emphasising key aspects of the work programme. It was acknowledged that the February meeting had been postponed. Consequently, the Economic Prosperity Strategy report was now scheduled for discussion at the April meeting, with a follow-up report to be submitted at the May meeting. AGREED:- That the Economic Prosperity Strategy be considered at the April and May meetings.
Decision as recorded
AGREED:- i) That the Lead Member, Officers and External representatives be thanked for the report and their presentation to the Committee. ii) That the outstanding data from Stats Wales be provided to Committee Members for information, when it is issued. iii) That, if possible, the above data be linked into the forthcoming reports on the Economic Development Strategy. iv) That a future update on this service be considered in 2026. That a Member workshop be held on the Corporate Social Responsibility Tool.
The Chief Officer for Economy and Planning submitted a report (COEP/22/25) asking members to review and consider how the Council provided support to pre-start and existing businesses (including Social enterprises), as well as businesses looking to relocate to the County Borough. The Lead Member for Economy, Business, and Tourism presented the report, emphasising its key points. A special acknowledgment was extended to the guests in attendance at the meeting: Amy Swan, owner of Hand Painted Decorations; Rebecca Griffiths, owner of Humble and Whole Bakery; and Dan Gillon, Director of Onyx Properties and co-owner of Hotel Wrexham. They shared an overview of their business journeys and their positive experiences with the support provided by Wrexham's business support team. Claire Hinchliffe, the Council's Business Support Manager, outlined the progress made in support provision to date. The key highlights of the presentation included: · Assistance provided to pre-start and existing businesses, as well as those considering relocation to Wrexham. · An overview of the support services offered by the Business and Investment Team, accompanied by a YouTube video about the service. · Performance highlights for 2024. · Examples of 2024 projects, including: a) The Wrexham Business Grant. b) The "Elevate Your Business in Wrexham" conference (accompanied by a video showcasing the event). c) A learning journey to Aico Limited. d) Business start-up clinics. · A pilot of the Social Value Impact Tool. · Planned projects for 2025. · Continued service provision for 2024. · Additional examples of 2024 projects. · The Wrexham Business Grants initiative. The following was discussed: • Business owners, the Lead Member and the business support team were thanked for their contributions, with recognition of the positive impact of the “Elevate Your Business initiative” in fostering best practices and idea-sharing. • Members were updated on recent and upcoming business support initiatives. The support team recently delivered "Hitting the Funding Target" grant workshops to assist businesses and social enterprises preparing bids for the reopened Shared Prosperity Fund. These sessions have seen high demand, with 80 businesses attending and a waiting list in place. · The Business Support service plans to submit a further Shared Prosperity Fund application and has several projects in development, including ongoing support for the Flintshire and Wrexham Investment Zone. · The Business Support team was also facilitating connections for key events, including the City of Culture 2029 bid, the National Eisteddfod, and an industry-focused event hosted at Ty Pawb. · A grant application has been submitted to the Welsh Government to run a business-focused climate change workshop, reinforcing the commitment to supporting businesses in adopting sustainable practices. · The need to ensure a holistic approach to business support and the processes for identifying, tracking, and resolving blockages or delays. · It was highlighted that, although individual departments may not possess all the solutions, robust internal networks allowed businesses to be efficiently guided to the relevant support services, including licensing, planning, and staffing · Efforts to enhance cross-departmental collaboration and awareness of available services were ongoing. Teamwork within the Council has been effective in ensuring responsive business support. · The exceptional growth of the Business Support services over the past year, noting the significant progress made compared to a year ago. · It was explained that whilst multiple data sources exist, consistency in reporting was a priority. Delaying the report was not deemed necessary, to include the Stats Wales data, as trends could be analysed over time and the data would be shared once available. · It was highlighted that, in previous years, reports often relied on data outside the team's direct control. This evolution in reporting has sought to identify critical needs, patterns, and intervention opportunities, as well as areas of strength and improvement. · A distinction was made between measuring council service performance and providing intelligence to support strategic decision-making. Whilst both were important, it was noted that the team's advice and input often had a delayed impact, which may not be immediately evident in performance statistics, such as job creation. · Clarification was sought on the Wrexham Business Grant figures, noting an apparent discrepancy between the number of expressions of interest (145), successful applications (4), and businesses supported (40).It was explained that whilst five businesses initially accepted grant offers, they later withdrew their projects. Not all expressions of interest resulted in full applications, but despite these withdrawals, 40 businesses ultimately received funding and successfully delivered their projects. · A member requested clarification on the £728,490 awarded, which was confirmed to represent Wrexham’s contribution, with the total investment exceeding £1.3 million. It was confirmed that the grant offered funding of up to 50%, not a fixed 50%, and it was agreed to amend the report’s wording for accuracy. · The Wrexham Cadets programme was modelled on the Duke of Edinburgh Award and was recognised as a qualification and delivered through a collaboration with Education and Coleg Cambria. The programme concluded with a Dragon’s Den-style presentation, leading to qualifications and, for some, potential apprenticeships. Due to its success, a bid was being submitted to expand and to double the participation rate. · The decline in growth and property inquiries from 2023 to 2024 was attributed to economic trends, business sustainment focus, estate capacity limits, and system issues. Aligning property offerings with business demands and the Economic Prosperity Strategy was an area for further work. · External interest in Wrexham, including inquiries arising from the "Welcome to Wrexham" documentary, indicated engagement beyond official records. · It was noted that supporting SME growth was crucial, together with ensuring the estate portfolio met small business needs and assessing Wrexham's capacity for growth. A shortage of start-up and incubation spaces was acknowledged, and an investor was exploring ways to address this gap. There was growing interest and potential future developments. • A workshop was proposed for all Councillors to cover the social responsibility model and the impact tool as part of the work programme. AGREED:- i) That the Lead Member, Officers and External representatives be thanked for the report and their presentation to the Committee. ii) That the outstanding data from Stats Wales be provided to Committee Members for information, when it is issued. iii) That, if possible, the above data be linked into the forthcoming reports on the Economic Development Strategy. iv) That a future update on this service be considered in 2026. That a Member workshop be held on the Corporate Social Responsibility Tool.
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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