RDC(3) P&D14
Rural Development Sub-Committee
Inquiry into Poverty and Deprivation in Rural Wales
Response from Conwy County Borough Council Social Services
This response is submitted in addition to the response from the Conwy County Borough Council Rural Community Action Team to provide an additional Social services perspective.
1) The poverty and deprivation problems faced by Conwy as a rural county include the following:
Although the level of economic activity amongst the working age population is relatively high, most jobs are in the service industries and there are high levels of part-time work and self employment leading to low wages.
The population of working age is small compared to the whole population. In the case of Conwy every working person has to support an increasing number of older people, placing strains on the local economy and social structure.
There is a link between poverty and the incidence and severity of chronic conditions and recent studies indicate that 2/3 of over 65 year olds have at least one chronic condition. There is also a high incidence of sensory impairment and dementia amongst older people increasing their care needs which can impact on their experience of poverty and deprivation particularly in rural areas where issues of isolation and lack of mobility are heightened
Poverty is found to have a high correlation to abuse. Conwy is one of the lowest wage areas resulting in many children in Conwy being brought up in financially limited circumstances.
The cost of delivering services both to children ( recent analysis of need conducted by children’s services indicating that those in greatest need are found spread across the whole county) and to older people who are dependent on an ever decreasing percentage of people in the working age category.
People living in rural areas have a lower take up rate for welfare benefits because amongst other reasons they lack access to information and transport to help them claim. There can be a high degree of social stigma attached to claiming benefits in rural areas
Transport costs can also affect the ability of children in Conwy to access services and leisure (particularly those run through the medium of Welsh), once they leave the primary rural schools. Safe transport which is at the child’s 'fare rate’ is not available for children at senior school who may then experience difficulty accessing after school activities
Older people living alone are more likely to be financially less well off, have a poor diet and feel lonely and isolated. These factors apart from being serious in themselves can lead to serious health problems in the longer term. 19.2% of older people in Conwy live in single person households.
There are recruitment difficulties in Social Care due to the low proportion of people of working age to the older population and what can be seen as the un-competitiveness of jobs in this sector.
There is limited suitable and affordable housing to meet the needs of the changing population in particular bungalows ground floor accommodation or adapted property for older people or those with a serious disability.
The response form the Conwy Rural Action initiative draws attention to the incidence of child and adolescent depression in rural communities. Access to CAMH Services is difficult and waiting lists have been an issue. A needs analysis undertaken points to limited resources for Adult mental health where so called 'lower level’ need is in fact chronic and impairs the life chances not only of the adult but also of their children.
Both the Welsh assembly government and the Local authority have a part to play in the anti-poverty/deprivation activities.
The Welsh assembly government needs to ensure that it provides appropriate intervention at a national level in the provision of welfare benefits, in promoting welfare benefits take up and in ensuring that the obstacles to this are addressed. Older women are more likely to live in single person households. Many of these are financially disadvantaged by previous employment patterns which reflected the cultural. social and economic circumstances of the times and are consequently dependent upon welfare benefits.
The stimulation of the local economy through the promotion of employment opportunities and new initiatives for economic activity is essential
It is important that the Welsh index of Multiple Deprivation is sufficiently detailed and wide ranging in the data it considers to properly reflect the deprivation experienced at local level. The recent needs analysis undertaken by the Conwy Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Partnership has found that the rural nature of much of Conwy County Borough means there are specific types of deprivation that are not picked up by the WMD.
The provision of specific grants can provide an impetus to new and effective initiatives but they need to be sensitive to local need and longer term than is sometimes the case.
Education and health policies need to reflect the needs of rural communities at a national level. Health initiatives which seek to concentrate some services at regional centres in order to create service efficiencies for example, will run the risk of causing disproportionate transport and logistical costs for rural communities.
The costs of reconfiguring the provision of services, to support the current emphasis on the increased management of chronic conditions at home, will be particularly high in rural communities where the population is very disperse and this needs to be properly funded
The local Authority has specific knowledge of the needs of it’s community as well as the relevant partnerships and community groups and this should be exploited and engaged if specific resources are provided to tackle the effects of rural poverty and deprivation.
