THE leader of Wrexham Council has defended maintaining the role of mayor after calls for the position to be removed to save money.

The local authority recently held a consultation seeking suggestions on how to balance its books for the upcoming financial year.

Almost 300 people took part in the exercise as the largest response saw 25 individuals ask the council to carry out a review of its office accommodation.

Eleven also requested either the complete removal or a reduction to the role of mayor at a time when residents in Wrexham are facing a council tax rise of 6.95 per cent for the second year in a row.

However, Cllr Mark Pritchard, who heads up the ruling independent/Conservative coalition, has spoken out against what he described as a “small minority” who keep calling for the position to be abolished.

He said: “Since I’ve been a councillor, the mayoralty has always been valued and accepted by the people of Wrexham.

“It’s loud and clear from the people that they want to keep the mayor.

“The mayor does a fantastic job for Wrexham on the civic side and raises a lot of money for local charity.

“We’ve made it clear, our coalition who run this council, we will always support the mayor and the mayoralty functions without a doubt.”

The mayor’s annual salary is expected to go up by £243 to £23,161 for the 2021/22 financial year, while pay for the deputy mayor would increase by £190 to £18,108,

However, the decision is based on the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales rather than the council itself.

The mayor’s office also incurs other costs for administration and staffing, but Cllr Pritchard was steadfast in his support of the role.

He added: “I’m disappointed that some people don’t value the mayor and what he brings to Wrexham, but I must say that’s a small percentage because everybody I speak to says that the mayor does a fantastic job.

“We’ve cut the budget tremendously there and I wouldn’t say it’s run on a shoestring, but it’s not far from there.”

The increase in council tax, which amounts to an extra £85 per year for an average band D property, has been proposed as the authority looks to address an estimated shortfall of approximately £18 million over the next three years.

This is in addition to the £11 million it has already saved over the three previous years.

The council’s final budget for 2021/22, including council tax levels, will be decided by executive board members at a meeting on Tuesday, January 26.