news.wrexham.gov.uk

Author: Chris

  • Wrexham Council needs you!

    Wrexham Council needs you!

    If you’ve just finished school or college, or you’re just entering the world of work, and you’re not sure what to do next, why not join Wrexham Council as an apprentice?

    There’s a huge range of jobs and careers at the council, and an apprenticeship can be a great way to start out.

    You can learn skills on the job, earn a wage and take your first steps towards your chosen career.

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    Want to know more?

    We have some exciting new apprenticeships across a range of services, including:

    • Education & Early Intervention Services
    • Finance & ICT
    • Customer Service & Digital
    • Housing
    • Social Care
    • HR, Performance and Improvement
    • Economy & Planning

    You’ll get varied and valuable work experience, and lots of support from colleagues keen to help you start your career in local government.

    You’ll work towards a nationally recognised qualification in an area of interest to you.

    Apprenticeships last for two years and can often lead to further career opportunities at the council.

    Take your first step today.

    Opening doors

    Councillor Beverley Parry-Jones, Lead Member for Corporate Services, says:

    “We want more people to consider careers in local government, and we’re very excited to offer this opportunity.

    “Those first steps into the world of work can be difficult and confusing, but an apprenticeship is a great starting point.

    “You will gain valuable work and life experience, earn a wage and work towards qualifications that will help you in your future career.

    “Maybe you’ve just finished school or college and you’re thinking about you’re next move, or you’re just starting out in employment for other reasons.

    “Either way, an apprenticeship could be a great option – opening lots of doors for you, and giving you the opportunity to reach your full potential and achieve your aspirations.

    “It’s also a great way for us to identify fresh talent, and recruit people with the right skills and attitude to deliver key services for the people of Wrexham.”

    How to apply

    The closing date for applications is September 9 (2022), so don’t hang about. Apply now to start in October.

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  • Waste collections will start at 6am tomorrow (August 11) and Friday (August 12) ☀🌡

    Waste collections will start at 6am tomorrow (August 11) and Friday (August 12) ☀🌡

    Our waste collections will start at 6am tomorrow (August 11) and Friday (August 12), rather than at 7:30am.

    This will help our crews avoid the hottest times of the day.

    If your waste is due for collection tomorrow or Friday, please put your bins/boxes/bags out the night before if possible.

    Collections may be suspended if the weather becomes too hot for our teams.

    If your collection is missed, please be patient while we work to complete collections as quickly as possible.

    Thank you 🙂

  • Our waste collections will start at 6am tomorrow (19.7.22)

    Our waste collections will start at 6am tomorrow (19.7.22)

    Our waste collections will start at 6am tomorrow (19.7.22), rather than 7:30am.

    This will help our crews avoid the hottest times of the day.

    If your waste is due for collection tomorrow (19.7.22), please put your bins/boxes/bags out tonight if possible. Collections may be suspended if the weather becomes too hot for our teams.

    If your collection is missed, please be patient while we work to complete collections as quickly as possible.

    Thank you.

    Take care in the extreme heat

  • Take control of your care with Direct Payments – our team is here to help

    Take control of your care with Direct Payments – our team is here to help

    If you’ve been assessed as needing help with day-to-day living by a social worker, did you know you can put in place your own support to suit your lifestyle?

    With Direct Payments, instead of receiving care from social services, you’re given the money to set up services yourself.

    This can give you greater control over who helps you and in what way. For example, you could recruit your own personal assistant or carer, and decide what hours they visit you.

    Although the scheme has been running for a long time, Wrexham Council now has a dedicated in-house team to help you learn about and apply for Direct Payments.

    You can find out more on the council website.

    Renew your green bin for 2022/23 now – collections begin from September!

    Get in touch

    Councillor John Pritchard, Wrexham Council’s Lead Member for Adult Social Care, says:

    “Our new team is eager to hear from anyone interested in Direct Payments.

    “The scheme can be a good option for many people – it puts you in control, and allows you to make arrangements that suit your needs and fit in with your lifestyle.

    “It might sound complicated, but it really isn’t – our team can provide all the help and support you need. So if you want to know more, please get in touch.”

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  • Mayor-making ceremony – Tuesday 24 May 2022 – Mayor’s Speech

    Mayor-making ceremony – Tuesday 24 May 2022 – Mayor’s Speech

    Last week our new Mayor of Wrexham, Councillor Brian Cameron, gave a speech in the Guildhall as he took up the chains of office for the coming year.

    Here’s a transcript of the mayor‘s speech in full…

    “Prynhawn da good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, fellow Councillors, Officers and distinguished guests.

    “May I first take this opportunity to thank my fellow Councillors for their support in electing me as Mayor for the coming year.

    “Can I thank Councillor Ronnie Prince and Sunanda Kapas for their dedication as Mayor and Mayoress over the past difficult twelve months, during which we were still feeling the impact of the Covid pandemic.

    “I would also like to thank the residents of Whitegate for putting their trust in me once again by electing me to be their County Councillor at the recent local elections, thereby enabling me to become the Mayor of Wrexham.

    “I would like to thank Councillor Graham Rogers for proposing me and Councillor Krista Childs for seconding me to be the Mayor of Wrexham for the 2022- 2023 period. It is truly an honour.

    “I would like to thank my wife Kerry for all her support over the years and for agreeing to be my Mayoress and to thank my son Lee for being in attendance today to share this special occasion with us.

    “Can I take this opportunity to thank the Reverend Dr Jason Bray for continuing as Mayor’s Chaplain for my term of office. Thank you Jason for joining us today.

    “Wrexham County Borough Council has already received levelling up Funding from the UK Government for the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct Project. It is now hoped that the second phase of the Levelling up bid from the UK Government will also be successful in helping the Wrexham Gateway Project here in the Town, along with Welsh Government Funding.

    “We will shortly learn the outcome of the City of Culture bid. I would like thank the local community who have worked alongside the City of Culture Team, for all their support and hard work. I will be keeping my fingers crossed that Wrexham is successful next Tuesday.

    “We also learned last week that Wrexham is to be awarded City Status as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

    “We have plenty to celebrate in the County Borough at present and Kerry and I are really looking forward to our term of office.

    “Outside of Mayoral engagements, I will hopefully still have some time to cheer on our fantastic football team. There are certainly exciting times ahead, with the prospect of promotion for Wrexham AFC, after only narrowly missing out on winning the FA Trophy at Wembley on Sunday.

    “Kerry and I would like to thank the Mayoral Team for the help and advice they have given us whilst being Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress. It was very much appreciated and we look forward to working with them again this year.

    “I would also like to thank all staff who have continued to deliver services during the most difficult of circumstances.

    “It now leads me to name our nominated charities for the Mayors Charity Fund for the coming year. This has been a difficult decision because there are so many deserving causes and we have met many wonderful people during our time as Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress, who do so much great work for these causes. My chosen charities for my term of office are:

    1. Nightingale House Hospice
    2. Wrexham Food Bank
    3. and Dynamic

    “I feel very privileged to be chosen as Mayor and Kerry and I will represent Wrexham County Borough Council and its residents to the best of our ability.

    “Dioich yn fawr iawn. Thank you all very much.”

  • Can you help with our research?

    Can you help with our research?

    This research is being conducted by the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA).

    We want to chat to Wrexham residents who’ve had money issues and have needed to access any of the services or benefits available to support them during these difficult times.

    Wrexham Council and Welsh local government are hoping that by getting a better understanding of your experiences and needs, we can understand how to make the services we offer better for residents like you.

    Type of session: An informal one-to-one chat with our researcher.

    Dates and times: We’re flexible with the dates and times of the sessions. If you let us know your availability, we’ll arrange the session to suit you.

    Length of session: 30 minutes to one hour.

    Location: We’re flexible with location. We can either do the research in person, online, or over the phone.

    As a thank you: £20 Love2shop vouchers for each participant.

    Who: The research will be conducted by the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA).

    How: Register online.

  • Don’t abuse parking enforcement officers – they’re just doing their job, and you might end up in court

    Don’t abuse parking enforcement officers – they’re just doing their job, and you might end up in court

    Imagine this. There are no rules when it comes to parking. You can park anywhere, anytime. You can park wherever you like, for free.

    What would it be like?

    Roads would get blocked, accidents would happen and people would get hurt. Individuals and businesses would suffer, and we’d all get fed-up pretty quickly.

    That’s why parking enforcement officers are good guys. Ok…you might not think that if you’ve ever had a parking ticket, but they’re there to make sure people follow the rules and to prevent parking chaos.

    They have a really tough job, and sometimes they get abused. Foul-language, insults and even physical threats.

    It’s not fair, and Wrexham Council and its partners won’t tolerate it – as one person found out when they were taken to court recently for being aggressive to one of our officers.

    They were found guilty and sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £107 in court costs.

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    An important role

    A spokesperson for Wrexham Council says:

    “Enforcement officers have a positive impact on our community, and without them we would all find life very difficult and frustrating.

    “They help ensure people park sensibly and follow the rules, and keep our town centre flowing.

    “We won’t tolerate anyone being abusive towards our enforcement officers, and will make every effort to liaise with the police and the courts to deal with aggressive behaviour.

    “So please respect them as they go about their job. They play an important role in keeping our town centre safe, and deserve to be treated in a polite and civil way.”

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  • Litter-Free Zones – Ysgol Bryn Alyn leads the way 🙂

    Litter-Free Zones – Ysgol Bryn Alyn leads the way 🙂

    Ysgol Bryn Alyn has become the first school in Wrexham to receive its FREE litter-picking kit for adopting a Litter Free Zone.

    Last week Wrexham Council’s Caru Cymru Project Lead Emma Watson visited the school – along with Wrexham’s Keep Wales Tidy Officer Shane Hughes – to deliver the kit, which includes 10 litter pickers, high-vis vests, a bag hoop and highly recognisable green litter sacks.

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    Emma and Shane met with staff and pupils after they signed up to record the amount of litter they pick through an app specially designed to track litter-picks.

    Emma says:

    “As part of the new Caru Cymru initiative, Keep Wales Tidy launched the Litter Free Zone campaign to encourage schools and pupils to keep their communities litter-free and to help raise public awareness.

    This slideshow requires JavaScript.

    “Through the campaign, Keep Wales Tidy has offered free litter picking kits to the first 100 schools to sign up in Wales, but in Wrexham we’ve made free litter-picking kits available to all schools that adopt a Litter Free Zone.”

    “Getting involved couldn’t be simpler and we’re asking schools across the county to adopt their own Litter Free Zones by registering their interest.”

    Schools can register their interest by visiting the Keep Wales Tidy website.

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  • Covid-19: Council buildings reopen to the public

    Covid-19: Council buildings reopen to the public

    Wrexham Council will reopen its public buildings on Monday, March 21 as Wales continues to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

    Some buildings – such as libraries, community resource centres and Ty Pawb – have been open to customers for some time, but others have remained closed while the pandemic was more severe.

    Buildings that will reopen to the public on March 21 include the Guildhall reception area, and local housing estate offices.

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    Contact Wrexham

    Contact Wrexham – the council’s customer contact centre on Lord Street – has been open for appointments since last year.

    However, the centre will resume full face-to-face services for customers next week – including walk-in enquiries (note appointments will still be needed for more complex enquiries).

    But before you make the journey, remember that all of the council’s public telephone numbers can be found on our website and a number of services are also available online.

    In fact, accessing services online is usually the quickest and easiest option for customers.

    Learning to live with the virus

    Ian Bancroft, Chief Executive of Wrexham Council, says:

    “Although Covid-19 hasn’t gone away, we’re in a much better place now thanks to high vaccination rates and immunity in the population.

    “Like the rest of Wales and the UK, it feels like we’re now moving out of the emergency phase of the pandemic and into a phase where we’re learning to manage and live with the virus.

    “As a result, any public buildings or face-to-face points of access that still haven’t opened yet, will reopen on March 21.

    “This also reflects the continued easing of Covid restrictions across Wales.”

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  • Rubbish behaviour

    Rubbish behaviour

    Most of us don’t fly-tip. Sadly, a few selfish people continue to drain public money and resources…

    Wrexham Council has hit out at selfish fly-tippers who dump rubbish on public land.

    Only last week, council employees had to clear-up scrap wood, rubble and other materials illegally dumped on Springfield Lane in Marford.

    Fly-tipping creates obvious safety risks and blights communities, and cleaning up after criminals diverts valuable public resources…paid for by public money.

    The clear-up at Springfield Lane involved a lorry with lifting equipment, a sweeping team and traffic management to keep everyone safe.

    However, the council has enforcement officers and camera technology to help track down fly-tippers, and has a serious warning for any perpetrators: ‘we’ll catch you.’

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    Leaving taxpayers to pick up the tab

    Councillor David A Bithell, Lead Member Environment and Transport, says:

    “This was a shocking and deliberate act of fly-tipping where individuals thought they could just dump this rubbish, and then leave the taxpayer to pick up the tab.

    “The clear-up involved our crews being deployed at a time when they had other, more important work to do.

    “I’ve asked our officers for the time the incident was reported, and if we can liaise with North Wales Police to see if we can identify any vehicles seen in the area.

    “Our message to these people who blight our communities is ‘dispose of your rubbish correctly…otherwise, we’ll pursue all avenues to catch and fine you, and where necessary pursue to the relevant courts.’”

    Other examples of fly-tipping over the past few days include:

    • Builders’ rubble blocking Stryt y Byddyn in New Broughton.
    • A sofa on a footway near Kingsmill.
    • A cooker dumped in Borras Hall Lane.
    • Several loads of builders’ waste tipped along Hafod Road, Hafod y Bwch to Old Sontley Cottages, and Sontley Bridge to Gyfelia Cross Roads.

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