Wrexham,North Wales - Health board must share responsibility of discarded needles in Wrexham

Published date: 16 February 2017 | 

Published by: Staff reporter
Read more articles by Staff reporter

QUESTIONS have been raised about how effective council measures are in dealing with discarded drug needles.

A Wrexham Council scrutiny committee, which is looking into the issue, met yesterday to discuss what progress had been made since they last met in October.

Last year, out of one million needles distributed in North Wales by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, a quarter went to Wrexham.

Council officers and representatives from the health board answered questions from members on how they were improving the way the public were being protected.

Wrexham Council’s Streetscene team has responsibility for disposing of any discarded used needles and are helped by volunteers from the Association of Voluntary Organisations in Wrexham and CAIS, the drug and alcohol support agency, which receive funding from the authority

Committee members heard from Wrexham Council’s lead member for communities and partnerships, Cllr Hugh Jones, and strategic director Lee Robinson that progress had been made in dealing with the problem.

But Bronington councillor Rodney Skelland questioned the absence of statistics or hard facts to support this and said he felt progress had been slow.

He asked: “Are we spending our money wisely? Not a lot has been done. It seems chaotic.”

Earlier he had queried whether the council was taking too much of “a benevolent approach” towards drug addicts and whether it was “wise” to “contribute financially to the agencies in and around the town”.

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Rossett councillor Hugh Jones replied there was “no magic bullet” and the issue was “hugely complex”.

He said: “People on the streets are telling us a significant amount of progress has been made and it is disingenuous to say otherwise.”

Cllr Skelland said he wanted to see how reductions in discarded needles being picked up were being monitored and the committee needed the figures in “black and white”.

Grosvenor councillor Steve Wilson, whose Rhosddu-based ward has been blighted by drug related problems, was invited to speak to members. He called on Betsi Cadwaladr to take more responsibility for cleaning up the needles it distributed as they were not exchanged one for one.

“Betsi Cadwaladr in particular have got to take responsibility for their policies,” he said. “They need to help us clear up the mess that is not of the council’s making, as we are getting all the flack and the aggro.”

His call was echoed by Maesydre councillor Carole O’Toole who said “there could be no more powerful statement of intent” in relation to helping to clean up discarded needles.

Jill Timmins, BCUHB’s head of service for substance misuse, said the health board was “absolutely committed” to helping, but increasing funding towards doing so could impact on the budgets of other areas of the service.

The committee recommended that a report measuring progress be produced in eight months time, as well as for clear guidance to be issued to the public regarding the disposal of needles.

Councillors will also seek to request Betsi Cadwaladr take on some of the cost for disposing needles.

http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/172600/health-board-must-share-responsibility-of-discarded-needles-in-wrexham.aspx