At this point in time, the UK has not fully entered a Covid-19 recovery phase and the consequences of Brexit are being worked through. It is important to acknowledge that some indicators and research show disruptions, due to Covid-19 especially, which makes planning at a time of uncertainty particularly challenging. We will review our analyses to ensure they reflect current and future trends as and when new or more reliable information becomes available.

Our previous assessment of well-being highlighted a range of data gaps at a local level, particularly gaps about people with protected characteristics. Those gaps are still present, however, this well-being assessment uses national data and research to draw together some conclusions about how inequality manifests itself in Conwy County Borough and Denbighshire, and specifically how inequality of well-being is likely to persist. Publication of Census 2021 data will to some extent address some of our data gaps. Such as a better understanding of what the population profile looks like and what it is anticipated to look like over the long term, including implication for the two areas and its citizens.

There are a range of factors (or drivers) that result in poor well-being, and well-being inequality, i.e. inequality that differs between groups or across areas. Using national well-being data, we can see that currently, all local authority areas in Wales have well-being inequality. Incomes, rurality, engagement in culture and heritage, access to green space, life expectancy, long-term illness or disability, housing, education and so on, all impact upon a person’s well-being. What is more, people may often possess overlapping identities or multiple protected characteristics, for example disabled, LGBTQ+ older people or socio-economically disadvantaged and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups. This is often described as ‘intersectionality’. Data is not available nationally nor locally to assess how intersectionality impacts well-being.

Overall, the root cause of well-being inequality appears to be poverty. Specifically, its associated relationship with factors such as very poor health, being disabled, workless, having no or only a basic education, being single, separated, widowed or divorced, renting or being middle aged. People living in the most deprived areas not only have a shorter lifespan, but also spend less of it in good health. Despite overall increases in life expectancy, the gap between the proportion of life expected to be spent in good health in the most and least deprive areas has shown no clear sign of reducing in the last 10 years.

Whilst the long term resilience of groups with poorer personal well-being and less favourable outcomes is currently unclear, without intervention, some small communities are likely to continue living with factors associated with ‘deep rooted deprivation’ (discussed further below). This, combined with the growing impacts of climate change, is likely to mean that these same groups will feel the impacts of climate change the most as their capability to adapt and respond well will be disproportionately lower.

The consequences of Covid-19 in particular, have resulted in significant impacts for people’s physical and mental health, and well-being more generally. As a result of Covid-19 we have already seen exacerbated inequalities (with people with disabilities or from non-white ethnicities being more likely to die from Covid-19) and these health inequalities are likely to continue for the medium and long term. This is discussed in more detail below.

The prevalence of ‘long Covid’, the term used to describe continued symptoms of Covid-19, is likely to compound existing inequalities in the same way Covid-19 has. Furthermore, ONS data cited by the Wales Centre for Public Policy indicate that a higher proportion of NHS staff and teachers have the condition compared to other occupations. This may have long-term implications for the health service and teaching professions, as the we emerge from the pandemic.^[1]

The experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic have left us with many unanswered questions about the future and how education will look moving forwards. Schools will continue to work on supporting pupils with their academic recovery and their wellbeing, including through the Welsh Government’s new Whole School Approach to Mental Health and Well-being. Pupil’s mental health and well-being, including but not limited to the impact of the pandemic, will be a priority for a long time to come.

Socio-economic disadvantaged or vulnerable people and personal well-being

There are people and families who are disadvantaged because they experience a range of problems that combined, make them vulnerable and likely to need a range of services unless problems can be de-escalated via preventative interventions.

Conwy and Denbighshire have small areas with concentrated high levels of multiple deprivation.^[2] People living within these areas have poorer outcomes than other groups in employment, income, health, housing, community safety, access to services and the environment. Poverty, and particular income poverty are not confined to these areas and incidence of household income poverty and child poverty exist scattered throughout the area.

Multiple deprivation in West and South West Rhyl in particular is among the highest in Wales and encompasses worklessness, low incomes, and poor educational outcomes amongst other things. Rhyl West 1, Rhyl West 2 and Rhyl South West 2 are identified by the Wales Index of Multiple Deprivation as areas of ‘deep-rooted’ deprivation. Areas with deep rooted deprivation are those that have remained within the top 50 most deprived – roughly equal to the top 2% – small areas in Wales for the last five publications of WIMD ranks.

Income and occupation (or simply being in employment) have a known relationship with personal well-being, whereby unemployment drives poorer well-being. Given our forecast about employment, we can expect to see higher claimant rates for the next 5 to 10 years.^[3] We know that unemployment, when combined with health problems or disability, negatively affects personal well-being.

As well as efforts to prevent and reduce environmental damage, adaptation to climate change is already a pressing issue. There is still more to do to make sure that there are healthy places for people, protected from environmental risk across the areas. People living in those areas described as experiencing concentrated deprivation are also communities at risk of flooding, they may also be more likely to experience fuel poverty, and are less likely to benefit from energy improvements. In short, they will be more likely to be affected by climate change than more affluent groups and communities, who tend to rely less on public services that could also be disrupted due to climate change. In the future, access to affordable electric vehicles for example could be a barrier for those on low incomes, and it is likely that those most at risk of socio-economic disadvantage will only have access to older, less efficient electric vehicles.

Office for National Statistics research has identified three groups most likely to have the poorest personal well-being,^[4] and it suggests interventions should be targeted towards these groups:

• Unemployed or inactive renters with self-reported health problems or a disability
• Employed renters with self-reported health problems or a disability
• Retired homeowners with self-reported health problems or a disability

This is to an extent supported by local research which found that problems accessing are often linked to transport difficulties for those who lived in rural communities, those who rent or whose housing costs are significant, those unable to drive, those experiencing health difficulties and/or were disabled; those working irregular hours, or people who considered themselves unavailable for work outside of school hours. The research concluded that a number of these factors were linked to poverty and social exclusion and thereby may be readily associated with particularly poor rural communities of North Wales. It found that some factors (such as driving or childcare) are gendered, and serve to disproportionally act as barriers to women accessing the workplace.^[5]

The association between adverse childhood experiences and poor outcomes in adulthood is well-understood, and these outcomes (poorer mental health, lifestyle choices that affect health and well-being) can be drivers for lower than average well-being.

There is a strong body of evidence of the importance of the first 1,000 days of a child’s life; addressing inequalities and intervening early to prevent health problems can help people make the best health choices for themselves now and for their children in the future.

There is also a strong economic case for investing in the early years of life. The rate of economic return on investment is significantly higher in the pre-school stage than at any other stage of the education system. Despite this, investment in services for children and young people is often at its lowest in the very early years which are the most crucial in the development of the brain. Investment only increases at the point when development slows.

Children at risk of or experiencing poverty are much more likely to report lower well-being and suffer poorer attainment outcomes that can persist to act as a driver for poorer well-being in the future. Reported personal well-being also this tends to be worse for girls than boys as they get older. Transition to secondary school is a key moment when socio-economic disadvantage can widen and is seen as an “important focal point for intervention”.^[6]

 Health inequality

People living in the areas in the most deprived fifth of Conwy County Borough or Denbighshire not only have a shorter lifespan, but also spend less of it in good health compared to those living in the least deprived fifth. There is a difference of 12 years of healthy life expectancy for males in Denbighshire’s most deprived areas when compared to the least deprived (the widest gap for the whole of Wales), and 6.5 years for women. The gap for men in Conwy is 6.9 years and 5.2 for women.^[7]  Despite overall increases in life expectancy, the gap between the proportion of life expected to be spent in good health in the most and least deprive areas has shown no clear sign of reducing in the last 10 years.

The North Wales Population Needs Assessment summarises the findings of the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee’s report “Into sharp relief: inequality and the pandemic” (August 2020). The report states:

“During the pandemic, our chances of dying, losing jobs or falling behind in education have in part been determined by our age, race, gender, disability, income and where we live. The virus and the response is widening existing inequalities, by reducing the incomes and increasing risks disproportionately for some groups of people”

Key issues and themes identified within the report include:

• Poverty has been a key determinant in the pandemic, from mortality rates to the risk of losing employment and income, educational attainment and overcrowded / poor housing. People from certain ethnic groups, children, disabled people, carers are all more likely to experience poverty.
• Men, older people, people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, people with existing health conditions, disabled people and people living in deprived areas have higher coronavirus mortality rates.
• Almost half of the lowest earners in Wales are employed in sectors that were required to ‘shut down.’
• Children with the lowest educational attainment before the pandemic will have fallen further behind their peers including boys, children of certain ethnicities and those with additional learning needs.

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, significant health inequalities affected the lives of people living in Conwy County Borough and Denbighshire. The wider determinants of health such as housing (in terms of quality and supply, and homelessness), education, employment and environment may contribute to less healthy lives.  Health impacting behaviours such as smoking, drinking/substance misuse, poor diet, and a lack of physical activity are also influenced by mental well-being, which can be low if these determinants are poor.  The Covid-19 pandemic has not affected everyone equally.  Those over 65 years old have been particularly affected, as have disabled people, males, people from ethnic minorities and those from deprived backgrounds.^[8]  Worsening mental health is more likely to be seen in those most affected by the virus. This is a particular concern for certain groups, including young people, people from low-income urban households and Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, who may be more likely to live in overcrowded homes and poor quality-environments, and to lack access to green spaces. Access to green space is known to be associated with lower well-being inequality.^[9]

People who possess a protected characteristic under the Equality Act (2010)

Research locally and at the Wales level demonstrates outcome gaps between those who share particular protected characteristics and others in relation to educational attainment, economic opportunities, personal safety, health, dignity in care, healthy lifestyle choices and access to services. These are known drivers of subjective personal well-being.

Welsh Government research^[10] indicates that certain groups are more likely to experience poverty.^[11]

“…socio-economic deprivation is highly intersectional. Deprivation interacts with protected characteristics, and certain communities of interest and communities of place may also experience worse outcomes in many areas. This intersectionality between deprivation and other characteristics can be thought of as a web, where different areas connect, compounding and exacerbating each other. This makes it no surprise that poverty can quickly become cyclical, or thought of as a trap that is difficult to escape. Unfortunately, disentangling this web is a complex, multifaceted issue that demands work from a wide range of stakeholders.”

On the basis of national evidence,^[12] the people with the following protected characteristics are more likely to live in the most deprived 10% of LSOAs in Wales (ranks 1 – 191), and, in some cases, are also more likely to report lower levels of personal well-being:^[13]

• Females
• Younger people
• Single people
• Disabled people
• People who describe their sexual identity as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or anything other than heterosexual/straight (LGBTQ+) are slightly more likely than heterosexuals to live in the 10% most deprived LSOAs
• People with a Muslim faith
• People with a Black Asian and Minority Ethnic background (some ethnic groups, particularly people from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities and mixed or multiple ethic, or Arab backgrounds, score below average in terms of personal well-being).

Disability

Disabled people are more likely to live in rented housing, and are more likely to experience socio-economic disadvantage. People living in households that include a disabled person are more likely to experience relative income poverty. Disabled people are more likely to require public services or personal care, some of which was removed during the Covid-19 pandemic and are more likely to have experience exacerbated isolation or loneliness. The disproportionately negative impact of Covid-19 on disabled people has led to a condemnation of the once-again-prevalent medical model of disability, rather than the relevance and more accepted social model of disability.

“Medical opinions and expert narratives have dominated the pandemic, despite the emergence of indisputable evidence that socio-economic factors played a key role in deaths caused by COVID-19. Disabled people found themselves referred to as ‘vulnerable’ by Government and mainstream media, which for many felt demeaning and undermined the long fought for achievements of the disability rights movement.”^[14]

The Locked Out report also refers to the employment gap, experienced by disabled people. For the year ending September 2020, the recorded employment rate among disabled people in Wales aged 16 to 64 was 48.5%. The equivalent figure for those not disabled was 80.6% and equates to a disability employment gap of 32.1 percentage points. The disability employment gap has narrowed in recent years, though analysis shows it has decreased more for women than men.

Gypsy, Roma and Travellers

Conwy and Denbighshire’s Gypsy and Traveller Assessment (GTAA) 2021, which considers the short and longer term accommodation needs over the lifetime of the Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP) up to 2033, has been submitted to Welsh Government for approval. The new GTAA 2021 is a result of following Welsh Government’s GTAA methodology guidance and has sought to understand the accommodation needs of the Gypsy and Traveller population in both counties, through a combination of desk-based research and stakeholder engagement with stakeholders and the gypsy and traveller community. Once formally published, the findings will be incorporated into our analyses here.

What people told us

An interactive community voices forum, held in October 2021, to give voice to seldom heard groups, has demonstrated the importance of ensuring that a diverse range of communities are able to have their voices heard at all levels. We have been told that engagement opportunities need to be more inclusive for people who work, live in rural communities, or who may feel intimidated by attending on line session due social or language barriers. Trust and confidence are critical. We also need to work collaboratively to ensure we do not overburden the same communities with numerous requests for the same, or similar information and that we feedback regarding the actions taken on the basis of their engagement. We need to go to the communities rather than them coming to us to make sure we hear their stories. It is felt that Covid-19 has diminished community interaction, whereby some communities feel even more isolated than before the pandemic.

From our engagement with seldom heard groups they told us that digital exclusion exists for communities where language, culture or social disadvantage is a common concern. There are also concerns that some may feel intimidated by attending engagement sessions online due to social or language barriers.

People have told us there is a need for more support for people with learning difficulties and those with the protected characteristic of disability. People would also like to see improvements in public facilities within active travel routes to promote a healthy lifestyle to all and to encourage reluctant walkers, or those who may possess a protected characteristic, such as disability.

People are concerned about child poverty, and the extent to which the public sector is working to improve the quality of life for people and children in poverty. Child hunger is a particular concern for people and they want to understand the root causes for hunger. People also want to ensure we ask those living in deprived areas to find out what they feel would improve their lives. Homelessness is seen as a factor in deprivation and so too housing quality. Poor housing has been highlighted by people as having a causal relationship with lower life expectancy.

The need for sufficient education, training and employability support for people of all economic activity levels has been evident throughout our engagement with the public. Although, in particular people have told us that this kind of support for young people needs to be seen as a priority. People want more sustainable employment and not just seasonal work which is this is common within areas of both Conwy and Denbighshire given the coastal nature of towns.

Young people have also told us of the lack of facilities and activities that are available and affordable to them, particularly during the winter months. They would like to see more investment in youth clubs to make them more attractive with better facilities and increased publicity so young people know what they have to offer. Leisure facilities and public transport are also unaffordable to them with public transport having no concession rates for high school children over 16.

Young people would also like to be more involved with decision making and understand more about what local councils do. A suggestion was to have a community councillor or county councillors invited into schools to explain as an individual what their work involved and how they contribute to different priorities. It is felt young people would respond well to this and this type of education would build trust and understanding.

National priorities

Wales’ Programme for Government consists of almost 100 specific areas of activity. Among its ten well-being objectives are commitments to:

• Provide effective, high quality and sustainable healthcare.
• Continue our long-term programme of education reform, and ensure educational inequalities narrow and standards rise. Protect, re-build and develop our services for vulnerable people.
• Celebrate diversity and move to eliminate inequality in all of its forms.
• Build an economy based on the principles of fair work, sustainability and the industries and services of the future.

Pledges include:

1. Build on our School Holiday Enrichment Programme.
2. Build on the success of our concessionary travel scheme for older people and look at how fair fares can encourage integrated travel.
3. Continue to meet the rise in demand for Free School Meals resulting from the pandemic and review the eligibility criteria, extending entitlement as far as resources allow
4. Continue to support our flagship Flying Start programmes.
5. Create 125,000 all-age apprenticeships.
6. Decarbonise more homes through retrofit, delivering quality jobs, training and innovation using local supply chains.
7. Deliver the Young Persons Guarantee, giving everyone under 25 the offer of work, education, training, or self-employment.
8. Develop a Wales Community Food Strategy
9. Ensure public bodies and those receiving public funding address pay disparities.
10. Ensure that each region in Wales has effective and democratically accountable means of developing their future economies.
11. Establish a new medical school in North Wales.
12. Explore radical reform of current services for looked after children and care leavers.
13. Fund childcare for more families where parents are in education and training.
14. Fund up to 1800 additional tutoring staff in our schools.
15. Fundamentally reform homelessness services to focus on prevention and rapid rehousing.
16. Implement and fund the commitments made in our Race Equality Action Plan
17. Invest in the learning environment of community schools, co-locating key services, and securing stronger engagement with parents and carers outside traditional hours.
18. Make our Welsh public transport system more accessible to disabled people.
19. Pay care workers the real living wage.
20. Prevent families breaking up by funding advocacy services for parents whose children are at risk of coming into care.
21. Promote equal access to sports and support young and talented athletes and grassroots clubs.
22. Put in place a £65 million international learning exchange programme.
23. Reinvigorate our twinning relationships across the EU through a Young People’s Twinning Fund.
24. Roll out child and adolescent mental health services ‘in-reach’ in schools across Wales.
25. Support 80 re-use and repair hubs in town centres.
26. Support cooperative housing, community-led initiatives, and community land trusts.
27. Use the new network of Disabled People’s Employment Champions to help close the gap between disabled people and the rest of the working population.

Opportunities for targeted interventions

The “Inequality in a Future Wales” report recently concluded that we should look for opportunities to promote equality in policy development across all areas; and we should create opportunities for equalities advocates and policymakers to think and plan for the long-term in partnership as part of policy development processes.^[15] Without targeted efforts, inequalities are likely to persist with women and people from a non-white background benefitting from the acquisition of green skills leading to jobs in green industries.^[16] In summary, the report states that:

• Future of work:
  • Unless addressed, predicted growth in science, technology and ‘green jobs’ will advantage the already advantaged because of an existing lack of diversity in relevant education, training and jobs.^[17]
  • Preparations for a changing future of work should focus on job redesign and training, rather than mass job displacement. Job redesign decisions must involve those effected and support must be made available so training is accessible to all.
  • New policies, such as Universal Basic Income (UBI) and remote working, need to consider equality.
• Climate change:
  • The poorest and most marginalised populations are least responsible for climate change but are a) the most likely to be exposed to its negative effects b) more susceptible to damage and c) have the least resources to respond, cope and recover.
  • Climate change mitigation could benefit marginalised communities if done well but could increase inequalities if the impacts on different groups in society are not factored in.
  • It is important that climate change does not become separated from equalities thinking and understanding, or limited to decarbonisation when it is just one part of achieving sustainability and well-being for people and planet.
• Demographic change:
  • An ageing population will disrupt how health and social care, employment and education, and pensions operate, and these systems will need to adapt if they are to function in the long-term.
  • Future challenges need to be tackled with the needs of all generations in mind or risk disadvantaging one at the expense of another and/or falling short of achieving ambitions.
  • A ‘care-led recovery’ puts childcare and the care needs of older people on an equal footing with ‘green jobs’ in benefitting health, the environment and the economy.”

The North Wales Social Care and Well-being Services Improvement Collaborative has highlighted important themes that can guide recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic:

• the importance of good social care
• the effect of mental health due to changes in socialisation opportunities
• the impact on those with job insecurity, both mental and financial
• community resilience and informal ways of working to solve problems
• recognising the importance of inclusion
• learning that public sector systems can work well together, and when there is the will, significant changes can be made to how care and support is delivered.^[18]

Office for National Statistics research has identified three groups most likely to have the poorest personal well-being,^[19] and it suggests interventions should be targeted towards these groups:

• Unemployed or inactive renters with self-reported health problems or a disability
• Employed renters with self-reported health problems or a disability
• Retired homeowners with self-reported health problems or a disability

The Thriving Places Index could support targeted interventions on a place basis.

Research from Public Health Wales shows the potential health and societal gains if childhood experiences are improved. In population terms, if there were no adverse childhood experiences, there could be 125,000 fewer smokers across Wales and some 55,000 fewer people who have ever used heroin and crack cocaine. This is cost-effective; the evidence shows that just over £100 invested in prevention of ACEs will result in over £6,000 of savings when measured across all public services over the next five years. There are a number of ways in which ACEs can be prevented or their impact lessened, including raising awareness of their importance, providing appropriate services for all families and reliable access to additional support for those who need it most. The benefits from this work points to the value of joint investments and partnerships between the NHS, local authorities and other services and agencies to effectively prevent ACEs in the future.

Key questions and areas for further research:

• There is a lack of diversity of voices inputting on these analyses, basically due to the requirements of social distancing and home working. Our engagement has attempted to overcome this but with limited success.
• Are disadvantaged groups more likely to be in poorer housing, and more priced-out of open market?
• We need detailed analyses about the impact of Covid-19 on babies’ and children and young people’s health and well-being.
• We do not currently have evidence locally to suggest that well-being is worse for certain groups because of dis-engagement from cultural opportunities. However, some cultural experiences maybe unaffordable or inaccessible for those experiencing socio-economic disadvantage or for those with protected characteristics. Government social research, however, has recently concluded that “access to arts, culture and heritage is highly dependent on intersecting socio-economic factors such as: tenure, employment, health and disability”. ^[20]
• There are more barriers to upskilling for women who “have less time to reskill or search for employment because they spend much more time than men on unpaid care work; are less mobile due to physical safety, infrastructure, and legal challenges; and have lower access to digital technology and participation in STEM fields than men.”^[21] To what extent will inequality be a barrier in the future? To what extent is work fair?
• The digital revolution also raises challenges as evidence shows internet use is lower among a range of groups and in specific localities where access is poor. Tackling digital exclusion involves looking at the range of barriers to accessing the internet. Those who are socially and economically excluded – poorer households, the disabled, and the elderly for example – are much less likely to be internet users than the population as a whole. To what extent will this persist as a trend beyond the short to medium term?
• Marginalised groups and their well-being and resilience (e.g. needs of offenders) and in particularly groups’ resilience to challenging long term trends
• There are challenges around a lack of diversity in decision making and political representation.
• The intersection between inequality, poor well-being outcomes and the disproportionate impact of climate change needs more research and a vulnerability assessment.

Specific data deficiencies 2021:

• Rural deprivation tends to exist in small pockets of deprivation, often widely dispersed, and may be masked by more affluent nature of ‘neighbours’). WIMD takes a more urban and concentrated definition of deprivation.
• There is limited information about inequality amongst older age groups.
• There is no data available about people who are transgender at either unitary authority or national level.
• There is no comprehensive source of data about disability. The 2011 Census provides information on limiting long term illness and unpaid carers at unitary authority level. There is a register of physical and / or sensory impaired people and people with learning disabilities who use social services, but this only captures information about those people who use the Council’s services.
• The only source of data about religious affiliation at unitary authority level is the 2011 Census.
• The most reliable data for ethnicity figures for all the population at unitary authority level is the 2011 Census. More up-to-date figures are available at an all-Wales level. The School Census provides more recent ethnicity data for school pupils only.
• National identity figures are only available for unitary authorities from the 2011 Census.
• The 2011 Census has detailed data on the Welsh language. It provides data about Welsh language skills, and a breakdown of Welsh speakers by age, nationality and geographically. The School Census also provides data about pupils in who attend Welsh medium schools and about pupils in all schools who speak Welsh.
• The Annual Population Survey produces figures for unitary authorities, but because of the limited sample size, they are not considered a robust source of data at this level. They are therefore not recommended for use at a unitary authority level.

[1] Wales Centre for Public Policy (2021). Briefing on well-being and the impact of Covid-19 and Brexit.

[2] LSOA is the geographic unit used in the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD). LSOAs are built from groups of Output Areas (OAs) used for the 2001 Census. There are 1,896 LSOAs in Wales each with a population of about 1,500 people.

[3] This paper sets out our reasoning for using the claimant count as a measure of unemployment: https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/statistics-and-research/2019-01/differences-between-unemployment-and-the-claimant-count.pdf

[4] Measured in terms of one’s life satisfaction; feelings that things ones does in life is worthwhile; how happy or anxious one felt yesterday. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing

[5] Dr Ben Binsardi, Joshua Payne, Professor Iolo Madoc-Jones, (2020). Accessing Employment and Travel Barriers in North Wales: Understanding what the issues are, identifying where they exist and exploring the solutions.

[6] Wales Centre for Public Policy (2021). Well-being and equalities briefing.

[7] Source: Gap in life expectancy at birth between the most and least deprived fifth, 2015 to 2017. Public Health Wales Observatory, using PHM & MYE (ONS), WHS & WIMD 2014 (WG)

[8]  Protecting our Health: Our response in Wales to the first phase of Covid-19: Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Special Report

[9] Use the interactive WIMD tool to find out more: https://gov.wales/welsh-index-multiple-deprivation

[10] These were identified as:

1. Lone parents had the highest rate of transient poverty and persistent poverty
2. Single pensioners also had high levels of persistent poverty
3. Families with two adults were less likely to experience poverty than their single-adult equivalents.
4. Families with children were more likely to have experienced poverty than the equivalent family type (single or couple) without children.
5. Disabled people are more likely than non-disabled people to be workless and therefore more likely to experience poverty.
6. Women are more likely than men to live in single-parent households, to have low incomes, and to have only part-time work and are therefore more likely to experience poverty.
7. Pakistani and Bangladeshi women are also more likely, than other women, to be workless and therefore more likely to experience poverty.

Welsh Government, 2014 https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/statistics-and-research/2019-07/140409-dynamics-low-income-en.pdf

[11] Government Social Research (2021). Implementing the Socio-economic Duty: A review of evidence on socio-economic disadvantage and inequalities of outcome

[12] Welsh Government, 2021. https://gov.wales/analysis-protected-characteristics-area-deprivation-2017-2019

[13] ONS, 2017. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/datasets/personalwellbeingandprotectedcharacteristics

[14] Welsh Government (2021). Locked out: liberating disabled people’s lives and rights in Wales beyond COVID-19 https://gov.wales/locked-out-liberating-disabled-peoples-lives-and-rights-wales-beyond-covid-19-html#section-75299

[15] Dr Sara MacBride-Stewart & Dr Alison Parken (2021). Inequality in a Future Wales: Areas for action in work, climate and demographic change. The findings are summarised within a Summary Report and ‘Bite-size’ version with Easy Read and BSL versions available also. For those who are interested in the more detailed analysis you can access the full technical report.

[16] https://www.futuregenerations.wales/resources_posts/skills-through-crisis-upskilling-and-retraining-for-a-green-recovery-in-wales/

[17] https://www.futuregenerations.wales/resources_posts/skills-through-crisis-upskilling-and-retraining-for-a-green-recovery-in-wales/

[18] North Wales Social Care and Well-being Services Improvement Collaborative (2021), Locality Health and Social Care Needs Assessment North Wales.

[19] Measured in terms of one’s life satisfaction; feelings that things ones does in life is worthwhile; how happy  or anxious one felt yesterday. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/understandingwellbeinginequalitieswhohasthepoorestpersonalwellbeing/2018-07-11

[20] exploring-relationship-between-culture-and-wellbeing (2020). https://gov.wales/exploring-relationship-between-culture-and-wellbeing

[21] Natural Resources Wales (2021). Future of Work in Wales Horizon Scanning approach. Unpublished document. Accessed 2 August 2021.