Rural Development Plan
2007-2014
Think Links, Think Rural,
Think Sustainability
Final Report
December 2014
Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary
2. Acknowledgements
3. Introduction
a) Outline of project:
b) Objectives of project:
c) Activities to achieve objectives:
d) Outputs of project:
4. Methodology
a. Activity 1
i) Questionnaire:
ii) Focus groups:
iii) Observation of already established groups:
iv) 1 to 1 interviews with key stakeholders:
b. Activity 2
i) Best practice visits:
ii) Attendance at relevant conferences and events:
c.Activity 3
i) Analysis of relevant strategies:
5. Main Findings
a) Introduction to findings:
b) Activity 1:
i) Questionnaires
ii) Focus Groups
iii) Observation of already established groups
iv) 1 to 1 meetings with relevant stakeholders.
c) Activity 2:
i) Best practice visits
ii) Attendance at relevant conferences and events
d) Activity 3: Analysis of Relevant Strategies
i)Swansea Bay City Region Economic Regeneration Strategy
ii)Vibrant & Viable Places
iii)Neath Port Talbot Single Integrated Plan
6. Project Conclusions
7. Performance against Outputs of the project
Appendix 1: List of contributors to the project
List of Figures
Figure 5.1 – Distribution of residents
Figure 5.2 – Residents views on tourist attractions
Figure 5.3 – Types of attractions needed in NPT
Figure 5.4 – Residents who would start their own business
Figure 5.5 – Residents awareness of business support
Figure 5.6 – Residents interested in volunteering
Figure 5.7 – People interested in starting a social enterprise
Figure 5.8 – Respondents satisfaction of basic services
Figure 5.9 – Broadband ratings
Figure 5.10 – Perceptions of broadband quality over time
Figure 5.11 – Broadband speeds
Figure 5.12 – Physical activities of respondents
Figure 5.13 – Residents awareness of community transport
Figure 5.14 – Age of residents
Figure 5.15 – Distribution of education levels amongst residents
Figure 5.16 – Residents barriers to employment
Figure 5.17 – Distribution of farmers
Figure 5.18 –Types of diversification considered/developed by farmers
Figure 5.19 – Distribution of businesses
Figure 5.20 – Where businesses source their food produce
Figure 5.21 – Distribution of young respondents
Figure 5.22 – Young people’s views on tourist attractions
Figure 5.23 – Types of tourist attractions needed in NPT
Figure 5.24 – Broadband ratings
Figure 5.25 – Young people participating in physical activity
Figure 5.26 – Employment status of young people
Figure 5.27 – Young people on employment in their area
Figure 5.28 – Highest qualifications achieved by young people
List of Tables
Table 1 – Broadband provision for residents
Table 2 – Employment status of the residents of rural wards in NPT
Table 3 – Barriers to expansion for rural businesses
Table 4 – Business support required by rural businesses
Table 5 – Marketing support required by rural businesses
Table 6 – Training required for rural business employees
Table 7 – Broadband provision for young people
Table 8 – Employment status of young people
1. Executive Summary
The ‘Think Links, Think Rural, Think Sustainability’ project is funded by the Rural Development Plan for Wales (2007-2013) under Axis 4. The purpose of the project is to conduct an extensive community audit which will investigate the existing provision within the rural wards of Neath Port Talbot (NPT) and to identify the unmet need. This report contains a summary of all of the information gathered throughout the duration of the project and reports the findings, highlights the gaps in provision and the potential for development in rural wards, all of which are linked to the original aims of the project.
An example of an emerging theme from the project is a desire from local residents and businesses, for local produce to be more readily available from specific markets and localised shops. With this in mind, there is potential for support to be aimed at marketing local produce and helping local producers to set up and develop shops/cafes dedicated to selling local produce. There is also an emerging theme of rural residents being willing and open to volunteering in community/environmental projects, so there is potential to combine both themes.
The findings have helped to establish the support needs of local businesses, and farmers, wishing to diversify their business. During the lifespan of this project, the Council’s tourism team have finished their duties as part of larger local authority budget cuts. This has left many rural tourism businesses feeling isolated with a lack of cohesion and with no support for finding and applying for capital and revenue financial support for a range of new projects.
The availability of basic services in rural wards is an issue raised throughout the project, specifically how transport and broadband connection is essential to allow individuals to access services. Transport is certainly an issue for rural communities and whilst there is a strong network of community transport services, these could be further expanded to meet rural need. Rural broadband connection speed has been highlighted as an issue of growing importance for residents and businesses alike with several questionnaire respondents complaining of poor and unacceptable provision. Also there is a demand from residents and businesses alike, for more walking/cycle trails to be created or expanded as a way of linking the various tourism ‘honeypots’ in Neath Port Talbot and promote the area as a prime destination for cycling holidays.
The findings of this report will aim to advise and influence the production of the Local Development Strategy for the next round of Rural Development LEADER funding, by outlining the priority projects, based on evidenced need amongst the rural community.
2. Acknowledgements
The following list acknowledges those who have contributed to the Think Links, Think Rural, Think Sustainability Project. The list includes stakeholders, groups and participants who have engaged to date with the project:
- Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council
- The Neath Port Talbot Local Action Group (LAG)
- Neath Port Talbot Regeneration Partnership
- Local elected Members
- Local Community Councils
- Questionnaire respondents:455 residents, 65 businesses, 24 farmers and 110 young people
- Focus group members
- Local community groups and organisations.
The full list of those that have contributed to the project is available in Appendix 1 of this report.
3. Introduction
a) Outline of project:
The Think Links, Think Rural, Think Sustainability project carried out a complete community audit of the rural wards of Neath Port Talbot. The project worked with all parts of the rural communities including residents, businesses, farmers, organisations working within rural wards, and elected representatives.
The project aims to capture an accurate reflection of rural life and to determine where the gaps are in provision to identify where potential funding could be directed for future projects. The ‘Think Links, Think Rural, Think Sustainability’ project is funded by the Rural Development Plan for Wales (2007-2013) under Axis 4 of the plan. The funding provided a full time member of staff to carry out the project until its end date, 30thDecember 2014.[1]
b) Objectives of project:
The original bid approved by the Welsh Government had eight objectives to meet as detailed below:
Objective 1: Determine key areas for growth in green tourism and leisure which includes examining new outdoor activities and experiences; pursuits to increase the well-being of the residents and ways in which rural tourism can be developed.
Objective 2: Explore new practices in ‘on farm’ diversification.
Objective 3: Examine innovative methods of support for business creation and development.
Objective 4: ‘Sectorally’ scrutinise current provision of basic services such as transport services, IT, health services, commerce, rural retail and the environment in rural areas.
Objective 5: Explore ways to increase greater flexibility in the local rural community transport system which address the needs of the rural communities.
Objective 6: Develop ideas for future projects to maintain, restore and upgrade areas of rural, natural and cultural heritage.
Objective 7: Explore, through community engagement the potential for setting up walking, cycling, riding, fishing and jogging groups.
Objective 8: To identify and support innovative ways of enhancing the employability of those furthest from the labour market.
c) Activities to achieve objectives:
The project used 4 key activities to deliver the objectives outlined above:
Activity 1: A comprehensive community needs audit carried out across the sectors within the rural wards of the County Borough. The audit seeks to ascertain what activity is already in place that meets the objectives outlined above and consequently what gaps there are in services. It will also establish how successfully these services are being delivered, and what areas there are for improvement.
Activity 2: Analysis of best practice in non-rural wards of Neath Port Talbot as well as outside of the County Borough will be carried out to identify best practice that could help to meet the needs of the rural wards of Neath Port Talbot.
Activity 3: Analysis of local strategies, to help identify strategically what is needed in rural communities and evaluate if they are being effectively implemented and if they have been successful in achieving their targets i.e. have the community seen the benefits.
Activity 4: The final activity of the project will draw together the findings under Activities 1 to 3 to produce an in-depth final report which maps current services, gaps and potential for future development. The report will also include a detailed action plan for the way forward, in particular how funding should be prioritised in the future to meet service gaps. The aim of this activity is to guide the planning for any future Rural Development Plan funding applications in Neath Port Talbot.
d) Outputs of project:
The project has 19 outputs which need to be met by the end of the project in December 2014. The outputs are as follows:
1. 25 enterprises advised or assisted to develop and/or market tourism products.
2. 20 farming household members advised or assisted to diversify into non-agricultural activities.
3. 10 micro enterprises advised and assisted.
4. 2 enterprises advised to develop projects relating to basic services for the economy and the rural population.
5. 5 awareness raising events held.
6. 10 consultation exercises undertaken.
7. 1 interpretive material produced.
8. 46 marketing and promotional activities undertaken.
9. 150 young people participating in the project.
10. 173 women participating in the project.
11. 7 individuals from black and minority ethnic groups participating in the project.
12. 150 Welsh speakers participating in the project.
13. 175 elderly people participating in the project.
14. 72 individuals with disabilities participating in the project.
15. 150 individuals from under employed groups participating in the project.
16. 15 activities undertaken to raise awareness of the environmental consequences of the project.
17. 1 community action plan developed.
18. 11 community mapping exercises undertaken.
19. 11 partnerships participated in.
In addition to the above, there are 3 results that the project must achieve as follows:
1. 90,000 people in the rural area benefiting from improved services.
2. 45 communities engaged.
3. 450 individuals engaged.
4. Methodology
a.Activity 1
In order to undertake Activity 1, 4 key methods were used:
- A questionnaire.
- Focus groups.
- Observation of already established groups.
- 1 to 1 meetings with relevant stakeholders.
i) Questionnaire:
An online questionnaire was designed and implemented as a key way to gather evidence from a wide cross-section of the community and obtain their views on services and activities in their communities.
The questionnaire for residents, businesses and young people went live on the Council’s online consultation system called Objective, on 5th October 2012 and were closed on the 30th September 2014.All questionnaires were made available bilingually in English and Welsh andin hardcopy by request. It was agreed early on in the project that 1 to 1 interviews would be undertaken with farmers as the best way to complete the questionnaire in relation to this target group. Therefore site visits have been undertaken with farmers to do this.
The links to the questionnaires were promoted on the Neath Port Talbot CBC website, NPT College Moodle Page, and NPT Shake (a local young person’s website). Articles were also placed in the South Wales Evening Post, RDP Lead Body Newsletters,and Afan Forest Park Newsletter. The project also has aFacebook page ( this has reached several target groups and organisations in Neath Port Talbot including Local Councillors and the Right Honourable Peter Hain MP. Finally, a variety of leaflets, posters and other promotional materials were created and distributed to help market the project.
By the end of project, 455 residents, 65 businesses, 24 farmers and 110 young people have participated in the project by completing the questionnaire.
ii) Focus groups:
It was identified that information will need to be collected from people other than local residents, for instance local service providers and local projects who cater for the rural communities. It was determined that the best method to collect the most information was to establish focus groups.
The focus group meetings have been held in line with the five main themes of the current Local Development Strategy (LDS) which are: Transport, Tourism, Environment, Increasing Economic Prosperity and Healthy Living. Focus groups were not needed for all five themes as there are similar groups already in existence, therefore focus groupswhich have been held since the previous interim report was published were in relation to Increasing Economic Prosperity and Healthy Living only. The Project Officer only arranged meetings where necessary and emails were sent out to individuals who have experience in each specified area.To capture the information needed to cover the remaining three themes (transport, tourism and environment) the Project Officer observed existing groups as opposed to holding separate meetings. The reason for this was to avoid duplicating the role of other groups within Neath Port Talbot.
iii) Observation of already established groups:
During the project, it has come to light that not all information can be captured through the questionnaire and/or focus groups. Therefore, attendance at already established meetings and groups was necessary.
Over the course of the project, the project officer has visited several established groups including: Swansea Valley Tourism Stakeholder Group; Tourism Swansea Bay Stakeholder Group; Dulais Valley Partnership Heritage, Environment & Tourism Group; Vale of Neath Tourism Stakeholder Group; Neath Port Talbot CVS Passenger Transport Forum; & Neath Port Talbot Heritage Network.
iv) 1 to 1 interviews with key stakeholders:
As described above, there were occasions where all the relevant information could not be captured through the questionnaire and focus groups. Therefore, in these instances, 1 to 1 interviews or ad hoc meetings with individuals weredeemed the best way to gather information.
b. Activity 2
In order to undertake Activity 2, the following methods have been used to date:
- Best practice visits.
- Attendance at relevant conferences and events.
i) Best practice visits:
Best practice visits were important as they provided an insight into ideas for projects which contributed to the outcomes and action plan for the Think Links Think Rural Think Sustainability Project. Visits were made to rural and non-rural areas to identify what projects and schemes are in place, if they are/have been successful and whether they could be potentially implemented in rural wards of Neath Port Talbot in the future.
In total, 16 best practice visits were made to the following: Agri Advisors, Our Welsh Farm, Myddfai, Glynneath Training Centre, Dove Workshops, Bwcabus, Grass Routes, IoloMorganwg Project, Mona Natura and Heritage project, Llantrafon Manor Project, Workways, Coastal project, Cognation Mtb, The Perfect Pitch project, Baytrans, and the Bring Your Village Alive/Sense of Roots Project.
These visits were carried out with set questions to ensure consistency in all visits and allow for replication and comparison of data in regards to analysis.The visits still gave the opportunity to engage freely in conversation allowing the Project Officer to identify further information where appropriate.
ii) Attendance at relevant conferences and events:
The Project Officer arranged to attend such conferences and events when the opportunity presented itself as it was an alternative source of information or networking.The following events were attended:
Village SOS Conference, Birmingham;
Food Tourism Event, Machynlleth;
Researching Rural Wales Conference, Cardiff
Health Challenge Neath Port Talbot Event
c.Activity 3
Finally, in order to undertake Activity 3, the method used was:
i) Analysis of relevant strategies:
The main focus of this activity is to identify existing local strategies and to give a clear understanding of them and what they aim to achieve. The Project Officer will need to evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies within the local community with the aim to identify areas of opportunity and to share information.
For the purpose of this report, three main strategies were analysed, all of which should be aligned with Neath Port Talbot’s new Local Development Strategy. The three strategies analysed in this report are: Swansea Bay City Region Economic Regeneration Strategy; Vibrant & Viable Places; and the Neath Port Talbot Single Integrated Plan.
5. Main Findings
a) Introduction to findings:
The following section outlines the main findings to date. Findings will be presented under each Activity, and then against the objectives outlined in the introduction. Any information which does not sit against any of the 8 objectives will still be captured and presented in a section at the end of each Activity.
b) Activity 1:
i) Questionnaires
Residents
In total, 455 people filled in a residents questionnaire and Figure 5.1 shows the breakdown of respondents in relation to their rural wards.