Council Leader encourages free vote on Local Development Plan

Members of the largest group on Wrexham Council will be free to vote for, against or abstain on the county’s Local Development Plan when the time comes, its leader has said.

Wrexham Council’s LDP is expected to be presented as ready for adoption, possibly on the 19th, and will go in front of its executive board first the day before being presented at full council for all 56 councillors to have a final vote.

Speaking at a media briefing, Wrexham.com asked Council Leader Mark Pritchard if there would be a free unwhipped vote in his group, and invited him to share how he would be voting on the n

He said: “There is not a whip in the Independent group. Never has been, never will be.

“We have a free vote on everything, we don’t have whips on votes and everybody from the Independent group is entitled to vote on the night, any way they want. I think that’s important.

“With regards to my voting, I will keep my opinion to myself until the night and I think that’s important and I think most members will do that.

“Some members have come out and made it very clear where they’re going to vote and I respect that too, but I’ll be keeping my decision until the night.

“But if I think we have to come out publicly to say things I will and there might be a reason for that to happen during this process before it gets to full council.”

Cllr Pritchard pointed to the lack of support for a previous iteration of the plan which earmarked a Gypsy and Traveller at Alyn Waters Country Park in Llay before it was removed.

He said: “We made it very clear that we wouldn’t support that and I’m pleased that the Inspector made a decision after to take that allocation out of the plan.

“It’s got to go through due process, the executive board then full council and everybody’s entitled to their opinion on it and vote on it.”

Cllr Pritchard made it clear he did not wish to interfere with other groups and ‘did not want to drift into party politics’, but then added “I hope other parties allow their members a free vote but that’s not in my gift. I hope the 56 councillors have a free vote on the night.”

“It’s a free vote and that’s how it should be.”

We also asked if there was a statutory obligation to vote for the LDP, much like pay reports that are ‘noted’ and always pass, or if councillors could outright reject the adoption of the plan.

Cllr Pritchard said, “Elected members are entitled to vote in three ways; they can vote for it, they can vote against it, or they can abstain. That is their personal choice. All 56 members are of their choice.

“There now needs to be a political decision made on it and that decision will be made in the chamber on the night”.

LDR / Wrexham.com