WREXHAM MP Ian Lucas has once again fired complaints towards Wrexham Council, this time over the construction of homeless shelters in the town.

Planning permission was granted by Wrexham Council in March for four shipping containers to be constructed at the Holt Road site with the aim of helping to house the homeless.

The council confirmed in August that the containers would by ‘up and running’ in December, but as the new year approaches no such construction has began.

The lack of development means that potential beneficiaries of the site have been left out in the cold.

In a post online, Mr Lucas said: “Wrexham Council promised me throughout 2018 that pods to house the homeless at Ty Nos, Holt Road would open in mid-December 2018.

“Carl Sergeant, then housing minister, promised the money for this project in September 2017 and, over a year after his tragic death, the project has still not been delivered. This upsets me deeply.

“Earlier this year, the Council rejected using a local builder, telling me the use of a national builder would make it cheaper and more efficiently delivered.

“At a time when we all want more facilities for homeless people, in the coldest and most inclement time of year, and especially around Christmas, I despair of our Council to deliver an important project, even when the money is there. What does it take for the people who run the Council to do the job they are elected to do.”

Cllr David Griffiths, Wrexham Council’s lead member for housing, issued a retort, saying: “We’re expecting the containers to be delivered in mid-January, and are working hard with our partners to make this innovative project happen.

“We had hoped the containers would be up and running by mid-December, but this is such an important issue, we have to make sure everything is right - so they can provide real benefit to the people who need them right from the start.

“An update was provided to the ‘Gold group’ – which includes Ian Lucas – only a few weeks ago, so everybody involved in the project should know where we are.

“This is about doing the best we can to help people who need our help, and we want these containers to be operational as quickly as possible, but we also want them to be right. This isn’t about politics - it’s about vulnerable individuals who need our support.”

Although the proposed containers will be located adjacent to the Ty Nos site, Wrexham Council has made it clear that Clwyd Alyn Housing Association (who run Ty Nos) are not to blame for the delays in construction.