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The Deep Rural Localities Report, commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government, with research undertaken by the Wales Rural Observatory, will be debated in Plenary yesterday

The report, available here, is the result of a major piece of research, which contributes to the 'One Wales' commitment of working with local authorities to identify and address the particular needs of deep rural areas.

“Deep Rural” is defined as a community over 30 minutes’ drive time from a centre of population of at least 10,000 people.

The report shows that 90 per cent of residents of deep rural areas report high levels of satisfaction with their quality of life, but some key issues impacting on deep rural areas emerged, including:

    * a trend towards the withdrawal of retail outlets and the
    * centralisation of services in general
    * limited public transport provision
    * a lack of affordable housing
    * a lack of broadband provision

The Minister for Rural Affairs, Elin Jones, will outline what the Welsh Assembly Government will do and is already doing with the report’s findings.