BROUGHTON COMMUNITY COUNCIL
ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25
- Introduction
Welcome to Broughton’s Community Council’s Annual Report, covering the year 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. We hope that it will help explain how the community council strives to improve the social, environmental and cultural wellbeing of the community to make Broughton a better place to live, work and visit.
Broughton Community Council comprises 4 wards covering 7 villages, namely:
- Brynteg
- Caego
- Lodge
- Moss
- New Broughton
- Pentre Broughton
- Southsea
The community council is made up of 16 councillors representing the 4 wards:
Cllr. Beverley Parry-Jones (Bryn Cefn)
Cllr. Sue Feely (Bryn Cefn)
Cllr. Claire Lovett (Bryn Cefn)
Cllr. Julie Williams (Bryn Cefn)
Cllr. Lisa Speed (Bryn Cefn)
Cllr. Eva Jones (Brynteg)
Cllr. Sandra Williams MBE (Brynteg)
Cllr. Nicola Davies (Gwenfro)Cllr. Andrew Lovett (Gwenfro)
Cllr. Jule Pettigrew (Gwenfro)Cllr. Caroline Williams (Gwenfro)
Cllr Nigel Williams (Gwenfro)
Cllr. Fred Derbyshire (New Broughton)
Cllr. Alan Edwards (New Broughton)
Cllr. Angela Hughes (New Broughton)
During the year Cllr. Keith Jones and Cllr. Trina Williams resigned. They were replaced by Cllrs Lisa Speed and Cllr. Angela Hughes. The Council currently has one vacancy.
At the May 2024 Annual Meeting Cllr Keith Jones was elected as Chair and Cllr. Fred Derbyshire was elected as Vice Chair. Cllr. Jones resigned from the community council on 28 January 2025, with Cllr. Fred Derbyshire being elected as Chair at the council meeting on 12 February 2025.
The Community Council meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month (excluding August) at 7 pm in the Memorial Hall, Brynteg, Members of the public are welcome to attend, other than when confidential items are being discussed.
The councillors are supported in their work by two members of staff, the Clerk / Responsible Finance Officer and a Cemetery Assistant, both of whom are employed on a part-time basis.
- Finance
Income
The main source of income for the community council comes from the precept which forms part of Council Tax. For the year 2024/25 this amounted to £172,564. This is the equivalent of £61.36, per property or £1.18 per week.
Other sources of income include fees from burials and headstones at the community council’s cemetery in Pentre Broughton and a small amount of bank interest.
The Council also claims back any Value Added Tax paid from HM Revenues and Customs.
The total income received during the year from all sources for 2024/25 amounted to £211,918.13.
Expenditure
The community council provided a wide range of services during the year including :
- 520 streetlights (Wrexham County Borough has responsibility for other streetlights).
- The Cemetery at Bryn y Gaer Road, Pentre Broughton.
- Play Schemes and Youth Provision.
- 6 Children’s Play Areas :
- Solway Banks, Southsea.
- the Memorial Park, Brynteg,
- Southsea
- Moss Valley, Poolmouth Road.
- Gatewen Road, New Broughton.
- Broughton Heights, Pentre Broughton.
- MUGA and Skatepark, Solway Banks, Brynteg.
- Muga, Gatewen Road, New Broughton.
- Xmas Lighting.
- Donations to various organisations.
- Events such as Remembrance Sunday, Carol service etc.
Other services including such grasscutting, road maintenance,
adult and child social care and education etc. are provided by Wrexham County
Borough Council.
The total expenditure, inclusive of VAT, paid out during the year amounted to £248,810.54.
At 31 March 2025 the community council had cash balances of £216,045.
Audits
The community council’s internal auditor has completed the audit of accounts and procedures for 2024/25. In her report she made a number of recommendations which the community council has taken on board relating to enforced changes to the accounting system.
The overall conclusion was :
“On the basis of the internal audit work carried out, which was limited to the tests indicated in the report, in our view the council’s system of internal controls in place are adequate for the purpose intended and effective, subject to the issues reported in the action plan.”
Projects
A report was presented to the community council in September 2024 which identified a number of risks / priorities :
1.The need to replace 60 concrete streetlighting columns.
The community council, in conjunction with neighbouring community councils, has committed to a programme of replacement over a number of years. 10 were replaced in 2024/25 at a cost of £18,000, inclusive of VAT , with an aim to replace 10 each year until all have been replaced. Such costs were budgeted for in the precept.
- Potential relocation of lamps from BT wooden poles.
BT and Scottish Power now have a policy of not allowing anything to be erected on new wooden poles. Fortunately, only one column had to be erected for this reason in 2024/25, on Windsor Road, New Broughton at a cost of £4,782 inclusive of VAT.
3.The need to undertake a Health and Safety Audit at Broughton Cemetery
An audit was undertaken which identified 170 loose headstones which needed remedial work. The work was completed during the year at a cost of £30,498.00 inclusive of VAT. This was funded from balances.
- Xmas Lights .
The community council erects 55 Christmas lamppost motifs each year. Two replacement motifs were purchased during the year following storm damage. In addition, there is an ongoing annual cost for installation, dismantling, storage and electrical testing. This total expenditure during the year amounted to £7,184.64 inclusive of VAT.
- Play Areas.
At some point in the future the community council will have to consider the renewal of some of its playground / MUGA equipment. Whilst some repairs have been undertaken in 2024/25 at a cost of £193.78, additional costs for new equipment would have to be funded from balances.
The community council has also incurred costs of £15,924.36 in relation to the regular inspection, maintenance and repairs of the equipment.
- Youth Provision
The community council has continued to provide two play and two youth sessions a week at Coed Efa, New Broughton and Broughton Heights, Pentre Broughton through a Service Level Agreement with Wrexham County Borough Council,
the cost of which amounted to £32,495.01.
- Defibrillators.
The community council installed three additional defibrillators during the year, at Gatewen Village, New Broughton, Broughton Road, Lodge and Pisgah Hill, Pentre Broughton. Unfortunately, due to delays in obtaining permission to install them, two of these were not installed until the 2025/26 financial year.
The complete list of locations is as follows :
- Outside Black Lane CP School, High Street, Pentre Broughton LL11 6AL.
- Brynteg Primary School, Brynteg Crescent, Brynteg LL11 6NA (AVAILABLE SCHOOL HOURS ONLY).
- Brynteg Community House,17 Darby Road, Brynteg, Wrexham LL11 6LW
- Hong Kong House, Windsor Road, New Broughton LL11 6SR.
- Pat’s Coaches, Southsea Road, Wrexham LL11 6PP.
- Ysgol Penrhyn New Broughton Primary School, School Lane, New Broughton
LL11 6SF (AVAILABLE SCHOOL HOURS ONLY). - Whitehead Drive, Gatewen Village ,New Broughton.
- Outside No. 34 Broughton Road, Lodge.
- 8 Church Road, Southsea LL11 6PG.
- Pisgah Hill, Pentre Broughton
Details can also be found on the community council’s website at www.broughtoncommunitycouncil/org/defidrillators
There is also one available, purchased by Roberts Bros, at 4 High Street, Pentre Broughton LL11 6AG.
A further one is located at ,the Wrexham County Borough Council Recycling Centre at Lodge LL11 5NR during opening times
