Reviewing Local Discretions which are available as part of the scheme.

Wrexham Council has a track record of making cuts - £33.8m in the last five years and nearly £60m since the economic crisis began in 2007/08. Over 3/4 of these have been achieved with minimal impact on the majority of the public and without having to drastically reduce the range of services we provide. 

However we are now at the stage where we are having to reduce these services (i.e. a tipping point). The money that UK and Welsh Government gives to us (which is about 3/4 of our entire funding) is already below the Welsh average per person, alongside this we have kept our council tax low and we are now facing increasing demand for services such as children and adult's social care. 

We have been lobbying the Government, along with other Welsh Local Authorities, for a fairer proportion of their overall budget. But unfortunately we found out in early October that we have not received enough funding to allow us to meet all of our budget pressures for 2019/20, and leaves us with budget risks for 2020/21. Therefore we have to find an additional £9m this year to balance our books. In addition, we cannot afford to take our eyes off the future, as even if we do everything we are proposing in this document, we anticipate we will still need to make further cuts of around the same amount in in 2020/21.

Over the last year, the Adult Social Care Department have been working hard to develop its Commissioning Strategy, which sets out our vision for care and support services for the next five years. The Strategy has been the result of a great deal of engagement with staff, partners, providers, and importantly the people who use our services and their carers; which I hope many of you will have had the opportunity to be involved with.

The enclosed strategy is the product of these conversations. It reflects our understanding of what the people who use our services have told us they want. However, it acknowledges the considerable financial pressures faced by the Department.

The changes and service developments outlines in this Commissioning Strategy are some of the things that will help us to deliver the savings we are required to make.

Wrexham County Borough Council (along with all other Welsh Local Authorities) is required under the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013 to produce an Integrated Network Map setting out a 15 year programme of improvements. The public consultation is to inform the development of the Integrated Network Map will be undertaken during 2018. The feedback received from the consultation will be used to help inform the development of the Integrated Network Maps.

Wrexham County Borough Council is preparing the Local Development Plan (LDP) which will replace the current adopted Unitary Development Plan. The LDP will be a long-term land use and development strategy focused on achieving sustainable development and will:

• guide development for housing, employment, retail and other uses;
• set out policies that will be used to decide planning applications; and
• safeguard areas of land requiring protection or enhancement.

Wrexham County Borough Council needs a housing strategy to respond to the challenges of providing housing and has a clear framework which sets out the forthcoming direction of housing in Wrexham County Borough.

The Local Housing Strategy 2018-2023 will provide information on current provision, demand and main influences as well as outline what is required for the next five years. The strategy will consist of three parts. A one page strategy will deliver the headlines of what we want to achieve, further detail will be provided in an accompanying booklet which is a continuation of the one page strategy and an Action Plan which will detail the actions, targets and measures of how the Council will achieve the commitments outlined in the strategy.

The Strategy may need to be reviewed during its lifetime in order to respond to any changes in  legislation, funding and resources which cannot be predicted at present.

This strategy is not a stand-alone document and reflects the priorities in Wrexham County Borough Council’s Plan. Both the Council Plan and the Local Housing Strategy support and are underpinned by a  number of themes in current legislation. We recognise that a housing strategy is not just about “bricks and mortar”. It is about regeneration, prosperity, aspirations, economic growth and supporting people to live in their homes and communities.

The Local Housing Strategy will follow three themes:

• More Housing More Choice
• Improving Homes and Communities
• Better Services to improve people’s lives

This is one of a series of local planning guidance notes, amplifying local development plan policies and reflecting national guidance in relation to developments affecting Great Crested Newt (GCN)  Triturus cristatus populations.  This guidance note is intended to provide advice and guidance to developers, land owners, members and other local authority council officers when assessing development proposals involving, or in close proximity to GCN population, together with other material planning considerations.  

The purpose of the draft revision Local Planning Guidance Note 5: Houses in Multiple Occupation is to set out criteria for how proposals for houses in multiple occupation (HMO) will be assessed so that smaller/more affordable units of accommodation can continue to be developed whilst at the same time trying to avoid over concentrations of HMOs in specific areas. The guidance also sets out the important planning requirements for HMOs, including minimum external areas for large HMOs.

In parallel with the proposed up addition an update to Local Planning Guidance Note 16: Parking is proposed.

The draft SPG seeks to provide clear and easy to understand guidance to raise awareness of the AONB and improve the quality of development and landscape design in and around the AONB. When approved by each of the Local Planning Authorities the SPG will be a material planning consideration in determining planning applications and appeals.

We've been working on a plan that we hope will shape the present and future of the county borough of Wrexham.

It's really important we get it right. That's why we've worked hard to involve you every step of the way, and now it’s time to ask for your views on the plan that we’ve drafted.