AGENDA ITEM NO. 10
1.
REPORT TO:
Executive Board
REPORT NO:
CEDO/06/08
DATE:
26 February 2008
LEAD MEMBER:
Councillor R.J. Dutton OBE
(Economic Prosperity, Asset Management and Leisure)
LEAD OFFICER:
Chief Economic Development Officer
CONTACT OFFICER:
Rebeccah Lowry (Tel 292455)
SUBJECT:
West Wrexham URBAN II Programme Capital Strategy
WARD:
Coedpoeth, Brymbo, Gwersyllt East and South, Gwersyllt
North, Gwersyllt West, Gwenfro, Bryn Cefn, New Broughton,
Llay
PURPOSE OF THE REPORT
To inform Members of the continued progress in implementing the West Wrexham URBAN II
Capital Strategy, and to gain Members’ approval for the establishment of an earmarked reserve
for the retention of operating surpluses generated through the activities of the Coedpoeth
Centre.
2.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2.1
The West Wrexham URBAN II Programme will end in June 2008. Its largest component has
been the development of a network of six community enterprise and learning centres, and these
have been constructed in Brynteg, Llay, Tanyfron, Gwersyllt, Brymbo and Coedpoeth. The
centre in Coedpoeth is the last to be built and is on schedule to be operational from May 2008.
2.2
The six centres are owned and operated by a range of parties. Brynteg and Gwersyllt are
operated by the Council’s Leisure Libraries and Culture Department; Llay is run by the
Prevention and Inclusion Department; and Tanyfron and Brymbo are run by charitable
organisations. The Coedpoeth centre will be operated by the Economic Development
Department.
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2.3
Throughout the programme’s eight year lifespan, the Economic Development Department has
managed the financial and operational aspects of the URBAN II programme. The programme is
on schedule to be delivered within budget and to achieve the majority of its outputs (a final
report will be presented to Executive Board in the Autumn this year). Whilst this role will
shortly reach its natural end, the department will continue to contribute to the regeneration of
the West Wrexham area by supporting ongoing community development work and by
delivering projects that tackle needs relating to both community transport and community
learning. These functions will be delivered by the existing Community Development Team
which will be relocating to the Coedpoeth Centre once it becomes operational.
2.4
The Coedpoeth Centre posts of Centre Development Officer and Administration Officer will
continue to be supported through the Economic Development Department’s base budget for
Community Regeneration work as part of the Community Development Team. However, there
is a need to ensure that the costs of caretaking, cleaning and maintenance within the Coedpoeth
centre are covered by the income the Centre generates, and for this reason authorisation for the
retention of income generated is sought.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1
Members are recommended to:
a) note the progress of the West Wrexham URBAN II Capital Strategy; and
b) authorise the Chief Economic Development Officer to establish an earmarked reserve
to retain income generated by the Coedpoeth centre to be used towards the running
costs and future development costs of the centre.
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INFORMATION
(a)
Background
4.1
The key priority of the West Wrexham URBAN II programme is to develop a network
community enterprise and learning centres strategically located across the communities of West
Wrexham. In its entirety the network will comprise six centres in Brynteg, Llay, Tanyfron,
Gwersyllt, Brymbo and Coedpoeth. The Centres are being networked through both a coordinated community-based learning programme and a community transport system. Delivery
of this Strategy began in 2001, and five of the six centres are now operational. The sixth centre,
Coedpoeth, will become operational by May 2008. The learning and transport elements of the
strategy are being delivered between 2007 and 2010.
(b)
Brymbo
4.2
The Brymbo Community Enterprise and Learning Information Resource Centre was completed
in the spring of 2007. Since then it has become operational in phases, with its business units,
community hall and meeting rooms, health and wellbeing suite, and community café all
becoming fully functional by the end of 2007. The final operational element, the childcare
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facility, is in its final stages of development with the remaining childcare-specific fixtures,
fittings and equipment currently being purchased and installed. An official opening ceremony is
being planned for the spring of 2008.
4.3
Members will recall that, following a review by the Council’s Internal Audit and Technical
Section of the business plans associated with the six centres prioritised within the West
Wrexham URBAN II Capital Strategy, the identification of a contingency budget to allow for
any increased project costs within the URBAN II Programme emerged as a key
recommendation. Members authorised the Chief Economic Development Officer to establish
such a contingency budget in July 2006 (CEDO/20/06).
4.4
It was reported to the Executive Board in December 2006 (CEDO/38/06) that a maximum of
£150,000 of this contingency budget would be required in order for the capital costs of the
Brymbo Centre to be fully met. Whilst the centre is now operational and most expenditure has
been finalised, there are still some elements of expenditure that have not been incurred yet and
consequently their final value cannot be confirmed. Consequently the actual requirement for
contingency funding is unlikely to be determined before September 2008. This will follow the
submission of a final claim to the Welsh European Funding Office after the programme’s end in
June 2008. The amount will not exceed the agreed sum of £150,000.
(c)
Gwersyllt
4.5
Construction of the Gwersyllt Resource Centre was completed in June 2007 and it became
operational in October 2007. The centre is operated by the Council’s Leisure, Libraries and
Culture Department. Recruitment has been undertaken for the centre’s staffing posts and all
three positions are now filled. The facility is becoming well-utilised by local residents, and it
has hosted a number of recent public events and activities. A range of community learning
opportunities are currently being developed to operate from the centre.
(d)
Tanyfron
4.6
A number of problems arose during 2007 regarding the Tanyfron School House project. These
and their proposed resolutions were reported to Executive Board on 20 November 2007
(CED0/29/07).
4.7
Officers from the Economic Development Department have continued to work with the
facility’s new management committee (Dragons Daycare) in order to implement these
proposals. As a result the facility is now on a more sound management footing and its financial
liabilities have been settled. The legal process of formally transferring the project to the
Learning and Achievement Department is ongoing and progress is being made in drawing-up a
lease for the facility by Dragons Daycare.
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(e)
Coedpoeth
4.8
Officers have continued to work with the Coedpoeth Community Committee on the
development of the Coedpoeth Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Centre.
4.9
The demolition of the former Penygelli School building, and the construction of the new build
have been undertaken as two separate phases. The demolition phase was undertaken during
March and April 2007, and the construction phase started soon afterwards. The construction
phase was planned to conclude in March 2008. Delays of approximately four weeks resulting
from wet weather (affecting the rendering of the building) and the theft of first-fix copper work
during the winter have meant that the centre will not be complete and ready for occupation until
the end of April. It will be operational and open to the public during May.
4.10
Recruitment of the centre’s three staff is progressing: The Centre Development Officer started
in post on 1 February, the centre’s Administration Officer will be appointed by the end of
February, and the Caretaker/Cleaner will transfer from her current duties at the Coedpoeth
Community Centre to the new centre in April or May.
4.11
Officers are currently working with colleagues the Transport and Asset Management
Department to oversee the letting of the business units within the centre. Negotiations have been
undertaken with interested parties regarding the lease arrangements for 6 of the 9 business units,
leaving just three remaining units vacant for marketing. Income will therefore be generated as
soon as the centre becomes operational.
4.12
As the Coedpoeth Centre is the only remaining facility to be completed within the West
Wrexham URBAN II Capital Strategy, it has been essential that all aspects of the development
and construction of the building remain on track in order to submit final claims when the
URBAN II Programme ends in June 2008. The centre’s capital budget is projecting a small
underspend which has been reported to the Welsh European Funding Office, resulting in a
projected reduction in the amount of ERDF and Local Regeneration Fund grant funding that
will be spent.
4.13
The original business plan presented to Members in July 2006 (CEDO/20/06) identified a
running deficit of £10,399 in 2007/8 and £21,588 in 2008/9. This deficit was to be met from the
funds remaining in the earmarked reserve for the URBAN II programme.
4.14
Key to the success of the centre are the Centre Development Officer and Administration
Officer. Both posts are critical to the efficient and effective operation of the centre. Through a
mini-restructure within the department, resources have been released to fund these two posts on
a permanent basis from within the Economic Development Department’s cash limited budget.
4.15
As a consequence, the business plan has been revised. The revision shows that the centre breaks
even and generates a small surplus by the end of the first three years. The Plan has been
examined by the Finance and Performance Department and its financial projections are
considered realistic. The small surplus generated is needed to fund the caretaking, maintenance
and development costs of the centre. In order to achieve this, Members are requested to allow
the Economic Development Department to retain any surplus earnings in an earmarked reserve.
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(f)
Member Training
4.16
training event is being organised for June 2008 to provide Members with an
opportunity to visit each of the centres developed as part of the West Wrexham URBAN II
Capital Strategy.
Community Learning project
(g)
4.17
Officers in the Economic Development Department have continued to support the development
of the Learning Co-ordination Project, which is one of the two over-arching projects which seek
to underpin the Capital Strategy. The project’s direction is being provided by the West
Wrexham Learning Working Group, a group which comprises representation from each of the
West Wrexham Community Development Committees and local education providers. The
project aims to respond to the training/learning needs of residents within the communities
located within West Wrexham. The main element of the project is the employment of a
Learning Development Officer. This post was filled in September 2007.
4.18
The role of the Learning Development Officer is to develop and implement a range of
co-ordinated learning opportunities to offer from within each of the six West Wrexham
Enterprise/ Learning centres and to support local residents’ participation in lifelong learning.
The Learning Development Officer role is a fixed term position until March 2010. A number of
formal and informal learning opportunities have already been developed and are currently being
implemented. External funds are also being sought by the West Wrexham Learning Working
Group at present to expand the number of learning opportunities on offer from the network of
centres funded through the URBAN II Capital Strategy Programme.
(h)
Community Transport
4.19
The West Wrexham Community Transport project is the second of the two overarching
projects, and it is now at an advanced stage of development. The transportation needs of West
Wrexham residents were ascertained through a widespread consultation process that targeted
12,000 households within the URBAN II Programme area. The identified needs were then
evaluated, and with support from officers from Economic Development and Transportation and
Asset Management departments a community ‘taxi-bus’ project is being developed which is to
be piloted for an initial 12-month period commencing April 2008.
4.20
The taxi-bus community transport scheme will provide a cost effective method of transport for
local residents who currently face barriers to participating within their communities. It is
anticipated that the project will help residents to access the learning/ training opportunities
available within the centres located within West Wrexham.
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5
CONSULTATION
5.1
The URBAN II Capital Strategy refers to the development of a network of community based
learning/ enterprise facilities which will accommodate a range of activities to support residents
of West Wrexham into economic activity. This network of centres was identified within the
West Wrexham URBAN II Action Plan, a plan informed by an audit of need that was carried
out in West Wrexham in 2002. The audit captured the concerns of residents, employers and
young people aged 11-16, largely relating to the access to learning and employment.
5.2
The URBAN II Board/ Programme Monitoring Committee (PMC) has overseen the Programme
and has prioritised the Capital Strategy as the main focus of the URBAN II Programme.
Members have been engaged in both the PMC and the individual community committees that
underpin it. The Council’s Executive Board has been provided with updates on the Capital
Strategy since 2004. Although the lifetime of the URBAN II Programme is nearing its end,
members of the URBAN II Board/ PMC are still updated on the position of the Capital Strategy
in respect of finances and progress with the implementation of the Capital Strategy.
5.3
The Members for all nine of the wards within West Wrexham have been consulted.
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SCRUTINY COMMITTEE COMMENTS
6.1
This issue has not been considered by a Scrutiny Committee
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IMPLICATIONS
7.1
Policy framework
A key objective of the Council’s Economic Development Strategy for 2007-10 is to engage
local people in the regeneration of their communities through the provision of appropriate
support to overcome barriers to employment. The URBAN II Programme has been a key
enabler in taking forward this objective in the communities of West Wrexham, and the Capital
Strategy is central to this programme. The delivery of the URBAN II Programme is helping to
support the Council’s work in delivering ‘Prosperous Businesses, a skilled workforce and
Regenerated Communities’. The Programme also helps deliver the priorities in Wrexham’s
Community Strategy, particularly ‘an economically prosperous place’ and ‘a place that values
learning’.
7.2
Budget
The URBAN II programme remains on schedule to be fully delivered within the approved
capital and revenue budgets. A full out-turn report on the programme will be provided to the
Executive Board in the Autumn of 2008 following the end of the programme in June 2008.
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7.3
Legal
There are no legal issues relating to this report.
7.4
Staffing
The Coedpoeth centre project is staffed by three posts. The Centre Development Officer and the
Administration Officer are new posts, whilst the Caretaker/Cleaner post is a direct transfer of
the existing post (and its holder) at the Coedpoeth Community Centre. Both of the new posts
have been the subject of open external recruitment, and appointments have now been made to
them.
7.5
Equalities - N/A
7.6
Background papers and website information
BACKGROUND PAPERS
LOCATION
WEBSITE INFO.
1.
Members Library
www.wefo.wales.gov.uk/
Members Library
www.wefo.wales.gov.uk/
Members Library
N/A
West Wrexham URBAN II
Action Plan
2. West Wrexham URBAN II
Programme Complement
3. Coedpoeth Enterprise and
Learning Resource Centre
Business plan
General information about the URBAN II programme can be found at:
www.wrexham.gov.uk/english/council/urban_ii/index.htm
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