Category: People & Place

We know a lot of people become concerned for rough sleepers when the weather turns harsher and colder.

And a lot of people want to know what we do to ensure there’s proper shelter in place for homeless service users, and support from the right services.

That’s why we have our Severe Weather Emergency Protocol – or SWEP.

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What is the SWEP, and how does it work?

The SWEP is triggered whenever we spot below zero temperatures are on the way.

And that estimate of temperature includes wind chill factor – what’s commonly known as the “feels like” temperature.

Temperatures are monitored every day, with temperatures looked at for the following three days – so we can trigger the SWEP early if we know poor temperatures are coming.

Once the SWEP is triggered, our outreach workers will do everything they can to get the message out to known service users who are sleeping rough, or visit areas where we know people are sleeping rough.

We would also get the information out via our social media profiles, and other organisations such as The Wallich and Clwyd Alyn.

Our housing options team will then try to accommodate all those rough sleepers who ask for help by directing them to Tŷ Nos, the night shelter run by Clwyd Alyn.

Even if they can’t stay at Tŷ Nos – for example, if all of the beds are already full – staff there will advise them where else they can go.

That might include St John’s Church, which is currently offering a night shelter service by The Wallich, or a pilot led by Housing Justice Cymru. Or they might be sent to an alternative venue, and we would arrange transport.

We’d then get in touch with service users the following morning for a further assessment, and to see if they can be referred to other services for further support.

Some service users might not be accepted – for example, if they have a history of abuse towards service staff.

But we’d still encourage them to get the support they need, and find help for them where it’s available.

How can I help?

If you have concerns about someone sleeping rough, you can visit the StreetLink website, or download their app.

StreetLink is an easy to use site which allows users to alert agencies of people who might be sleeping rough, just by providing a few key details, which are then sent to local authorities or outreach services.

Alternatively, you can also get in touch with our housing options team during office hours on 01978 292947, or the out-of-hours homelessness service on 01978 264240.

Any one of these options will make our teams of aware of those people who might need our help.

Of course, in an emergency, you should call the service needed on 999.

If you want to donate, items such as sleeping bags and blankets can be donated at The Foyer, on Crescent Road.

Even if the SWEP hasn’t been activated, Tŷ Nos will provide support and items such as gloves, blankets, sleeping bags and hot drinks when available to all those who approach the shelter for help.

“Services and agencies will do everything they can”

Cllr David Griffiths, Lead Member for Housing, said: “We, alongside our partner services and agencies, will do everything we can to make sure people get the support they need during the winter.

“We know this is an issue which is very close to people’s hearts, and teams within our housing department work tirelessly throughout the winter months to get help to those who need it.”

We have to make even more cuts…and ask taxpayers for more money. But before we do anything, we want to know what you think.

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Christmas is approaching and we’re reminding you of the free parking days you can look forward to in Wrexham town centre.

Our Events Team has been really busy arranging all the usual Christmas events with the added attraction of a Christmas Village this year, and to make sure everyone benefits we are able to offer free parking for most of these events.

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “Even though we continue to face financial challenges we now how important it is to support our events programme over the Christmas period. Supporting our events and giving free parking on key dates in the lead up to Christmas is a boost to the local economy. We hope this will help our traders, particularly our independents, to take full advantage of the extra shoppers this will bring in. Staff have worked hard to bring all these events to Wrexham and I hope the free parking will play a large part in encouraging visitors to them.”

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The dates for free parking are listed below:

“Christmas Light Switch On”

This popular event is taking place on 22 November and signals the start of the festive activities in the town centre. Parking in all the Council’s town centre car park will be free after 4pm. This event is organised by the Wrexham Rotary Club with the support of our Events team.

“Small Business Saturday”

Come along on December 1 and support local businesses on Small Business Saturday, a national event that we in Wrexham have taken part in for several years. Parking will be free after 10am.

“Victorian Market and Late night shopping”

The very popular Victorian Market takes place on 6 December and parking will be free after 4pm. This event will once again see Queen’s Square to St Giles Church festooned with stalls selling a selection of festive treats and gifts alongside entertainment and a traditional carousel. A very popular event which sees thousands throughout the day descend on the town centre.

The December 6 event also marks the start of free parking for late night shopping which will continue on December 13 and 20 when shops are encouraged to stay open late.

“Christmas Village”

A new event for shoppers and visitors this year and a very exciting addition for the festive season. A three-day winter wonderland is planned. We’ll have more information about this soon. The Christmas Village takes place on December 14, 15 and 16 and parking will be free after 10am.

“Christmas shopping week”

The final days before Christmas will see parking free after 10am between December 17 and 24. Don’t miss the opportunity to bag last minute bargains and take advantage of all that’s on offer in the town centre.

Free parking is on offer at the times stated above in all town centre council owned car parks. This includes Tŷ Pawb. You can check out our other car parks where free parking will be available here.

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Have you ever noticed just how many trees there are in Wrexham and the surrounding villages, even in the open countryside and the country parks and public open spaces that connect us all?

This may sound like a daft question, but just think about it. How many trees have you stopped to look at recently? How many trees have you seen newly planted? How many trees have you seen recently felled?

Trees, and the ‘green infrastructure’ they contribute so much to, are features in our landscape which – if we’re not careful  – can easily be taken for granted.

A BAD DEAL FROM WELSH GOVERNMENT MEANS WE’RE FORCED TO MAKE MORE CUTS. HAVE YOUR SAY…

Our trees provide us with significant services: they remove pollution and provide us with cleaner air, they capture carbon, they lower the risk of flooding, reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, they provide incredibly important habitat for our threatened wildlife, they help support the very ecosystem in which we live; they improve our very health and well-being.

So it’s important that we don’t just view trees as something “nice to look at”, but that we have in place the knowledge and available resources to make sure they’re managed appropriately.

This is why Wrexham County Borough Council is very pleased and proud to have its own approved tree and woodland strategy in place: a strategy which sets out not only how we look after and protect those trees which we have throughout the Borough, but also how we’ll plant more in the coming years whilst encouraging the community and local businesses to work alongside us planting even more trees to make Wrexham a greener place to live and work in.

The Woodland Trust

We’ve recently come in for praise from the Woodland Trust, the UK’s largest conservation charity, which campaigns for the protection and restoration of trees and woodland throughout the country.

In a recent publication, the Woodland Trust marked out our ‘Tree & Woodland Strategy’ for special praise, calling us a “tree friendly” town with a “great” tree strategy; it even goes on to say that other councils could learn from the work we’ve done.

Joe Coles, the Woodland Trust’s Project Lead for Street Trees said: “These are challenging times for trees in urban environments, thanks to lack of suitable soils, conflict with hard landscapes, pests, diseases, worsening air quality, and climate change!

“Although they face these difficulties, trees are also part of the solution. Wrexham Council recognises this, and has made a commitment to its ongoing management – a strategy to ensure trees remain at the heart of urban centres… and the council wants trees to remain in the hearts of Wrexham’s residents.”

Jon Brewin, one of the two Arboricultural Officers with Wrexham Council, said: “Recognition from the Woodland Trust is a great sign of confidence in our work, and their continued support and promotion of our strategy has been indispensable.”

“Very pleased with Woodland Trust’s comments”

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “I’m very pleased with the Woodland Trust’s comments and their confidence in our tree strategy. A lot of work went into the strategy, and that work will dictate how we handle our trees and look to increase canopy cover across all towns and villages in the coming years.

“We’re obviously very much aware of the expertise which the Woodland Trust has when it comes to tree management, so it’s excellent to see that we’ve come in for such glowing praise from them.”

For more information regarding our tree and woodland strategy, or the benefits and financial savings our own trees provide back to the community, or even as to how Wrexham County Borough Council manages its own tree stock on a day to day basis, visit the trees homepage on our web site.

We have to make even more cuts…and ask taxpayers for more money. But before we do anything, we want to know what you think.

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