Wrexham council has broken relationships, says report

“Poor behaviour” and “fractured relationships” have dogged a council and “urgent changes” are needed, a new report has found.

It is the second time in two years that watchdog Audit Wales has looked into the behaviour of paid officers and elected councillors at Wrexham council.

Audit Wales said it was concerned that not enough progress was being made and changes are needed to avoid undermining the work of the council.

The council said things were getting better but it was committed to further improving the way officers and councillors worked together.

Audit Wales carried out a review of the council in October 2023, focusing on the planning service, and found that relationships between elected councillors and paid officers were “fractured”.

The report said: “Despite previous recommendations and statements of good intent from the council, insufficient progress has been made in addressing critical governance issues.”

Investigators found ongoing tensions between councillors and paid officers, with some elected officials not trusting the officers or their advice and publicly criticising them in meetings or the media.

Councillors often did not attend training sessions, but officers would sometimes cancel them at short notice.

Auditor general for Wales Adrian Crompton said poor behaviour made it harder for the council to be sure it was giving the people of Wrexham value for money.

“The greatest concerns for the effective performance of the council are the ongoing strained relationships and distrust between some members and senior officers,” he said.

“Unless addressed urgently and genuinely, this will undermine the positive work of the wider council and its workforce.”

Council interim chief executive Alwyn Jones said the authority was committed to improving how councillors and officers worked together.

He added: “We’re also committed to enhancing councillor support, skills and knowledge and to ensuring good governance.

“We feel we’ve made some good progress in these areas in recent times and we’ll continue to work hard in these areas and make sure we take on board the comments and recommendations from Audit Wales.”