Audit Wales warns Wrexham councillors over poor training attendance and "unhelpful blame culture"

In a report published on Tuesday (10 September), the watchdog found the council had not fully addressed recommendations from its 2024 audit of Wrexham's planning service, which said ongoing delays in adopting the council's local plan had created significant risks, and described relationships between some members and officers as "fractured".

Wrexham's local plan (LDP) has been at the centre of a series of legal challenges after councillors refused to adopt the document in 2023.

A High Court judge later issued an order that the council adopt its LDP in November 2023 following judicial review proceedings brought by a group of developers.

Councillors adopted the local plan in December 2023 in the face of a contempt of court warning from its monitoring officer, but Plaid Cymru members went on to successfully appeal the High Court's decision at the Court of Appeal.

The Welsh Government subsequently applied for permission to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, but its application was refused.

Wrexham is now awaiting a response from the Welsh Government to its request to direct withdrawal of its local development plan.

The follow up review conducted by Audit Wales found improved relationships in the Planning Committee since its previous audit, but warned that "some members continue to express a lack of trust in some officers and in the advice they provide".

The 2025 review considered values and behaviours across the council, rather than just within its planning service.

The report said: "We observed ongoing tensions between some members and officers, with a need for improved communication in line with the Council’s established protocols.

"Communication from some members is excessive and includes requests for access to information that aren’t always appropriate nor in accordance with the Council’s Protocol on Member/Officer Relations."

The report also said that it was "clear" that members had failed to adhere to a provision in the constitution that called on members to "avoid personal confrontation in any public forum, especially in full council and through the media".

"This behaviour not only goes against the council’s Constitution and its vision; it creates an unhelpful blame culture. This does not create a productive environment for decision making in the best interests of the people of Wrexham," the report said.

Audit Wales recommended that Wrexham should adhere to the communication arrangements within its ‘Protocol for Member/Officer Relations’ in order to improve relations.

It also recommended the council work to improve member knowledge, awareness and skills by delivering training programmes, and developing clear accountability measures to improve attendance of training.

In addition, it called on the council to strengthen governance arrangements by ensuring key materials relating to roles and responsibilities are reviewed and updated periodically to reflect legislative requirements and clearly define expectations in an accessible way.

Commenting on the findings, Auditor General for Wales, Adrian Crompton, said it was “disheartening to observe that [the council] has made insufficient progress in addressing critical governance issues”.

He added: "The persistent low engagement in essential training by members is concerning. Personal and professional development are fundamental to understanding roles and responsibilities, and the effective exercise of the council’s statutory duties.

“The fact that some key materials haven’t been reviewed and strengthened in many years weakens its governance framework. Councillors and officers are reliant on one another, and relationships founded on mutual respect are essential for good governance.

“So perhaps of greatest concern for the effective performance of the council are the ongoing strained relationships and distrust between some members and senior officers. Unless addressed urgently and genuinely, this will undermine the positive work of the wider council and its workforce."

Alwyn Jones, Wrexham Council’s Interim Chief Executive, said: “As a council we’re committed to improving the way councillors and officers work together. 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.”

Adam Carey