At the end of November 2007, WLGA Council approved the consolidation of the Central Wales Plus Regional Partnership Board's rural lobbying work under a new WLGA Rural Forum, a specific sectoral grouping within the WLGA whose membership includes Anglesey, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire, Powys and with representation from National Parks Wales
Since coming into being, the WLGA's Rural Forum has sought evidence, given evidence and lobbied on a number of issues which include the following:
- The National Assembly for Wales Rural Development Sub Committee's Inquiry into Rural Poverty and Deprivation in Wales - click here.
- The National Assembly for Wales Rural Development Sub Committee on Rural Schools - click here.
- The Joseph Rowntree Foundation in relation to Rural Housing in Wales - click here.
- A briefing on Rural Health Planning - improving service delivery - click here.
- A report entitled Broadband in Rural Wales which was commissioned by the Forum and published in November 2009 – click here.
- The Forum’s response to the OFCOM Consultation on the assessment of future mobile competition and proposals for the award of 800MHz and 2.6Ghz spectrum etc. - click here.
April 2011, the WLGA Rural Forum endorsed the Association’s new Manifesto for Rural Wales which will be used as the platform for discussion with the new government in Wales. Of the priorities for action, the Rural Forum has prioritised:
- Effective and high speed Broadband access
- Finding new models of service delivery/sharing good practice to overcome the ‘rural premium’ for goods and services
- Sustaining rural communities through establishing effective local hubs.
The agendas, minutes and papers of each meeting of the WLGA Rural Forum can be accessed through the links on the left hand side of this page. Attendance at meetings is by invitation only. The next meetings are scheduled to take place on:
- 2nd March 2012
- October 2012 - to be confirmed
For more information contact: Susan Perkins