Here is a briefing on the Cabinet meeting of Wyre Borough Council held on 3 September 2025. Councillors agreed to contribute additional funding to Poulton-le-Fylde Community Hall and approved the procurement strategy for the Marine Hall, Fleetwood. The Cabinet also noted the Local Government Ombudsman Annual Review Letter 2024/25, the Council Plan Monitoring Quarter One 2025/26, and the Life in Wyre Residents Survey 2025.

Poulton-le-Fylde Community Hall

The Cabinet agreed to contribute up to £95,000 from the council's reserves to Poulton-le-Fylde Community Hall for phase two of its redevelopment works. Councillor Lesley McKay, Resources Portfolio Holder, described the hall as:

a fantastic community asset which brought residents together.

Councillor Peter Le Marinel, Planning Policy and Economic Development Portfolio Holder, added that the funding would make a difference to residents across Wyre. Councillors also praised the volunteers who run the hall.

The funding will be reported alongside the UKSPF¹ community infrastructure fund, using the same terms and conditions as the UKSPF grant funding agreement. The council's contribution will reduce if surplus UKSPF funding becomes available.

Marine Hall Procurement Strategy

The Cabinet agreed to the Marine Hall procurement strategy, which is exempt from publication under category 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972². This is because it contains Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding the information) .

Council Plan Monitoring Quarter One 2025/26

The Cabinet noted the report on the council plan monitoring for the first quarter of 2025/26, which covered the period 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2025, and endorsed remedial actions to get projects and measures back on course.

According to the Council Plan Monitoring Quarter One 2025/26 report, 84% of projects are on track, while 16% are experiencing issues in delivery. The report also said that performance against the council plan indicators is good.

The Wyre Council plan has four priorities:

• People and Communities – Residents live happier, healthier and safer lives.
• Growth and Prosperity – A thriving local economy and town centres.
• Place and Climate – A cleaner, greener and more sustainable place.
• Innovative and Customer Focused – A well-run, forward-thinking council that puts customers first.

The report noted a number of measures that were not meeting their targets:

• Reduce the number of violence against the person offences committed Serious Violence and Violence Against Women and Girls are considered a particular priority and therefore interventions to address these issues feature heavily within the Wyre Community Safety Partnership's Action Plan for 2025-2028.
• Increase in the number of people visiting our leisure centres Works are now complete and Thornton sports hall was fully operational from 16 June, opening with new flooring and line markings.
• Increase in the number of people engaged with our health programmes New activities are starting, such as Post Natal Exercise, Balanced Out (Falls Prevention) and Knee Replacement Class. There are also new programmes starting with local providers, for instance Weights Programme in partnership with Over Wyre Medical Centre and Walking Cricket with Fylde Coast Cricket Club.
• Town centre vacancy rates below the UK average The Economic Development team are liaising with The Vacant Shops Academy in July to discuss how they can support Fleetwood.
• The number of potential entrepreneurs and businesses supported by the economic development service Small Business Academy have organised a package of 15 workshops in the coming months, that Wyre businesses can attend.
• Resident satisfaction with our parks and open spaces The survey period coincided with dissatisfaction around Jameson Road odour issue.
• Resident satisfaction that the council provides value for money services Nationally there has been a general reduced level of satisfaction with public services in recent years.
• % council tax collected Cost of living pressures are contributing to the ongoing trend of slightly lower recovery rates.
• % business rates collected The change in retail relief, from 75% to 40% has resulted in an increased number of businesses facing higher bills and so facing difficulty with business rates payments.
• Increase in the number of residents signed up for council tax e-billing A competition is being organised to encourage sign-up for e billing.
• Resident Satisfaction with the council This correlates with the environmental impacts that our community are experiencing relating to Jameson Road.

Life in Wyre Residents Survey 2025

The Cabinet noted the findings of the Life in Wyre Residents Survey 2025 and agreed to ensure that officers use the information to help inform future council plan priorities.

The Life in Wyre Residents Survey 2025 was conducted between 10 February and 31 March 2025. A questionnaire was sent to 4,000 randomly selected households, and all Wyre residents were given the opportunity to participate in the survey online. There were 1,363 responses in total.

Key findings from the survey included:

• 76% of the targeted sample were satisfied with their local area as a place to live, compared to 82% in 2022.
• 46% of all respondents agreed that 62p a day for all the services and facilities that Wyre Council provides represents value for money, compared to 55% in 2022.
• Satisfaction with services/facilities provided by Wyre Council was highest in respect of waste and recycling collection (73%), promenade and beach maintenance (62%), and parks, playgrounds and green spaces (59%).
• The main things that respondents feel need improving in the area where they live are roads and pavements (64%), crime levels (25%), the general cleanliness of the area (25%), and health services (23%).
• The most popular actions that Wyre Council could take to address climate change were to protect and enhance the natural environment (87%), set tougher environmental standards for newer developments (72%), offer advice for reducing bills and improving home efficiency (70%), and support the use of sustainable and active travel (65%).
• 48% of respondents think that Wyre Council responds to residents' needs 'not very much' or 'not at all'.
• The most popular options for receiving information about Wyre Council were Facebook (44%), the council e-newsletter (42%), Wyre Voice residents' magazine (41%), and the council website (33%).

Local Government Ombudsman Annual Review Letter 2024/25

The Cabinet noted the Annual Review Letter from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) for 2024/25 and referred it to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to support their work on corporate complaints.

During the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, the LGO received and assessed nine complaints and enquiries, a decrease from 16 complaints in 2023/24.