THE message ‘that it is not all about money but about changing residents’ perceptions and empowering them’ was delivered to Rhyl Town Councillors during a presentation.

Ms Judith Greenhalgh, chief executive at Denbighshire County Council, was responding to comments by councillors.

Concerns and comments had been put forward such as licensing of landlords of house in multiple occupation (HMOs) not working; schools had a big role to play in addressing worklessness with certain families experiencing two to three generations of unemployment; the town council used to be able to attend member area group meetings but were now prohibited from doing so by the County Council; Not all deprived people live on the promenade and resources need to tackle issues across the town, the town centre ‘looks tired’ and CCTV cameras pointing downwards gave the impression of ‘no one caring’.

In the minutes of the meeting, it states Ms Greenhalgh advised: “The county council shared the town council’s aspirations for Rhyl. Member Area Groups (MAGs) were part of the county council structure and the Local Reference Group is the forum for town councillors to feed into.

“The town council’s ideas are welcomed but it must be accepted that big retail was not returning to the high streets. She was pleased that the prom was improving and two new hotels had been established.”

Ms Nikki Jones, community development lead, Rhyl, said it was not all about money, but changing residents’ perceptions and empowering them.

“This had been highlighted by the residents’ engagement with the Town Vision document,” she added.

During the meeting, Ms Greenhalgh - who established the Rhyl Community Development Board - referred to the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation figures and negative results for Rhyl, despite significant investment in relation to SC2, new high schools and the planned Queens Market.

A Denbighshire County Council spokesman said the council was proud of its investment in Rhyl in recent years plus significant private sector investment and would work with partners including Rhyl Town Council on Rhyl’s “ongoing regeneration”.

“Our Rhyl Vision document, on which we consulted with members of the public, focusses on delivering a vibrant and balanced mix of uses for the town centre; improved ease of access; improved pedestrian flows and a desirable town centre atmosphere and improvements to the green infrastructure creating a more pleasant environment and contributing to lower net carbon emissions.

“This includes the Queen’s Buildings development seeing a mix of residential, food and beverage, office accommodation, indoor food hall, “flexible” market space, leisure and community uses.”

“We will continue to work with our partners including Rhyl Town Council on Rhyl’s ongoing regeneration.”