rural stakeholder engagement...

THURSDAY 16TH JANUARY

2020

RECREATION CENTRE,

LOUGHRY COLLEGE,

COOKSTOWN BT80 9AA

Rural Stakeholder Engagement Event WORKING TOWARDS A NEW RURAL FRAMEWORK

A living, working, active landscape

valued by everyone.

Welcome & Introductions


valued by everyone.

Opening Remarks


valued by everyone.

Rural Trends, Challenges &

Opportunities Across the

Regions

Rural Trends, Challenges & Opportunities across the regions

Professor Sally Shortall

Centre for Rural Economy, Newcastle University

Honorary Professor, Queen’s University Belfast

@sally_shortall [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Overview

• The emergence of rural development in Northern Ireland

• Current context: What will Brexit bring?

• Rural development across the regions: commonalities and differences

• Opportunities and challenges going forward

The emergence of Rural Development in Northern Ireland

• Similar to elsewhere in Europe: ‘The Future of Rural Society’ (1988)

• Early 1990s The Department of Agriculture became responsible for rural development (not unusual across Europe)

• Rural Development Council and Rural Community Network established

• Strong emphasis on rural poverty and disadvantage (both EU and NI)

• Close relationship between Government and Community Development Organizations

• Political context of the time

Rural Development in Northern Ireland

• Move from being responsible for the RDP to rural policy

• Problematic responsibility

• Inter-departmental working group, Rural Proofing, Rural Needs Act

• In addition to RDP, the Initiatives to Tackle Rural Poverty and Social Isolation (TRPSI)

• Many of these initiatives exemplary, showing close inter-departmental connections

• For example, Assisted Rural Travel Scheme, Rural Business Scheme, Regional Infrastructure Support Scheme

Current context: What will Brexit bring?

• Threats and opportunities (true for all of the regions)

• Scope to consider whether the priorities of the EU RDP are the same as the priorities for the region

• What type of rural Northern Ireland do we want?

• Time for a refreshed rural strategy with a reflection on the appropriate instruments needed to implement it

• Ability to move beyond rural/agricultural tensions built into EU policy and consider how agriculture / rural development intertwined

Rural development across the regions: commonalities and differences

• All see Brexit as a threat and an opportunity

• Similar attempts to develop Rural Strategies going forward, although Northern Ireland is further ahead than the other regions

• The Scottish are worried about remote areas and islands and seasonal migrants

• The Welsh are worried about the loss of trade relationships with Ireland and poor infrastructure

• The English are worried about the scale of England, regional differences, affordable housing (not Brexit related) and hill farmers

Rural Development across the regions: commonalities and differences

• Northern Ireland and England: rural proofing/ Rural Needs Act. Scotland is very opposed to rural proofing.

• North Yorkshire Councils have established a Rural Commission to develop a rural strategy for the region.

• Issues raised (NI/ North Yorkshire/ ROI) broadly similar: farming, food and environment; economy and jobs; services; inclusion and well-being; rural/ urban connectivity

Opportunities and challenges going forward

• Northern Ireland is leading in preparation for a future Rural Strategy

• Need to build on good practice of strong community development, inclusion programmes, innovative TRPSI programme

• Very good community infrastructure in place/ closely connected to Govt

• Ability to interlink agriculture and rural development going forward


• Wonder about the focus on rural disadvantage – it is there, but not the only thing that is there: differentiated rural

• Urban/ rural binary is unhelpful

• North east just received a three year multi-million pound award premised on unlocking the potential in the rural economy, building innovation, untapped growth potential

• Southern Ireland 2010’s Rural Development Plan specifically talks about changing the narrative


• Reduction or closure of rural services always very emotive – somehow seen as weakening the fabric of community

• Realism and what is better quality of life: North Yorkshire and the closure of rural schools

• Rationalising services without improved infrastructure is problematic

• The delivery of services changes: what is the bigger issue? Having a bank in the local town or having access to online banking and the knowledge of how to use it?


• Evidence will not provide the one true right answer – it depends on what ‘ought’ to be – what type of rural do we want?

• For example, North Yorkshire: Rewilding or grouse shooting? Both convincing and diametrically opposing arguments. What do we want?

• Who decides what is the right path forward?

• Important to carefully think out what type of rural


valued by everyone.

Over to You -

Roundtable Discussions

Working Group 1Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Presented by: Gerard O’Neill


valued by everyone.

Working Group 1 - Membership

Invest NI

Tourism NI

Mid Ulster District Council

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council

Rural Support Network – RAPID NI

DAERA - Sustainable Rural Communities Branch

DAERA - Resource Economics Branch

DAERA - Rural Affairs Division


valued by everyone.

To create a rural society where innovation and

entrepreneurship flourish

Working Group 1 – Goal


valued by everyone.

• Micro & Small businesses are particularly dominant in rural areas

• NI has historically lagged behind the rest of the UK in terms of enterprise

start up and in the level of innovative activity

• On average farm incomes are down

• Females in NI are half as likely to be entrepreneurs as males

• The social economy is growing but more can be done in rural areas

• More rural businesses are owned by people from whom export is not the

main driver

• We know that rural areas are lagging behind in terms of tourism

Working Group 1 - Context


valued by everyone.

• We will develop a culture of rural innovation

• We will raise awareness, build capacity & capability to

engage in rural entrepreneurship & innovation

• We will invest in and develop our rural economy

Working Group 1 - Aims

Working Group 2 Rural Tourism

Presented by: Anne Currie


valued by everyone.


Local Action Groups Councils

Rural Support Network - Cookstown

and Western Shores Area Network

Rural Support Network – RAPID

NI

Tourism NI & Tourism Ireland Outdoor Recreation NI

National Trust Department for the Economy

Department for Communities DAERA – Rural Affairs Division

DAERA - Natural Environment

Division


valued by everyone.

To maximise the contribution that sustainable rural tourism makes to

rural society and to the wider economy and environment



valued by everyone.

• In Jan-March 2019 NI attracted a previously unsurpassed 550,000 visitors from

outside NI (+14%). Growth was evident for both the ROI (+34%) and GB and

Other Overseas (+8%) markets

• More than 1m overnight trips (domestic and external) were taken in NI during

Jan-March 2019. This is a record breaking number of trips, up by 7% on Jan-

March 2018, with increases evident for all main markets

• Visitors spent £180m (-3% on Q1 2018), with spend reducing for all markets

except the domestic market. Some £2m was spent on average each day

during Q1 2019



valued by everyone.

• Holiday trips increased by almost one quarter compared with Jan-March 2018,

with all main markets delivering growth

• The most recent NI accommodation statistics (Jan-September 2019) show

unprecedented sales with over 3.7 million bed-spaces sold - an increase of 7%

on Jan-September 2018

• In 2017/18 the proportion of households in NI very or fairly concerned about the

environment was 71%.

• Significant volumes of visitors are day tripping to particular destinations.

Working Group 2 – Context


valued by everyone.

• We will encourage and support the delivery of compelling year round, authentic visitor

products and experiences of a quality that will provide international stand out for

Northern Ireland

• We will support a rural tourism sector that is commercially focused and achieves

sustainable levels of growth and prosperity

• We will facilitate welcoming and supportive rural communities to play an enhanced role in developing and managing tourism in their locality, thereby strengthening, benefitting and enriching local areas

• We will recognise, value, protect and enhance Northern Ireland’s natural, cultural and historic built environment as the cornerstone of its rural tourism


Working Group 3 Social Wellbeing

Presented by: Gerard Treacy


valued by everyone.

DAERA – Rural Affairs Division (West) DAERA – Sustainable Communities Branch

Public Health Agency Rural Support

Northern Health and Social Care Trust Department for Communities

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Rural Action

Ards and North Down District Council Southern Organisation for Action in Rural

Areas

Generating Rural Opportunities within South

Antrim

Rural Support Network - County Down Rural

Community Network

Rural Support Network - Community

Organisations of South Tyrone Area (COSTA)



valued by everyone.

To reduce loneliness and social exclusion in rural areas, to minimise the impacts of rural isolation and to promote the health and wellbeing of

rural dwellers



valued by everyone.

• Many social wellbeing issues are inter-related, highlighting the need for joint actionand working in partnership with a range of service providers

• Service delivery should build on existing community infrastructure and make best useof the rural estate

• Outreach into rural communities is essential to reaching those most at risk, andshould have the ability to engage with all sectors/age groups through localconnections

• Mental health is a key concern amongst rural dwellers, heightened by concernsaround household incomes and the ability to access wellbeing services



valued by everyone.

• We will champion awareness and understanding of rural social

exclusion, isolation and loneliness

• We will support a rural dimension within the work of other

organisations which are promoting positive health and wellbeing,

addressing social exclusion, isolation and loneliness and build

the capacity of rural organisations and people to develop their

activities in this area



valued by everyone.

• We will establish effective approaches to reducing loneliness and socialexclusion in rural areas, to minimise the impacts of social isolation andto promote the health and wellbeing of rural dwellers

• We will sustain the future viability of villages as social and economiccentres

• We will support the strategic development of existing rural communityassets as places where people can meet, interact, access services andenhance their health and wellbeing


Working Group 4 Employment

Presented by: Jerome Burns


valued by everyone.


DAERA - Rural Affairs Division DAERA - Sustainable Rural Communities

Branch

Department for the Economy Invest NI

Newry, Mourne & Down District Council Lisburn & Castlereagh Borough Council

Ards & North Down Borough Council Mourne, Gullion & Lecale Local Action Group

Southern Regional College Newry & Mourne Enterprise Agency

Rural Support Network - Omagh

Forum for Rural Associations


valued by everyone.

To increase employment opportunities available to

people living in rural areas



valued by everyone.

• 7 out of the 10 most disadvantaged SOAs are rural

• Rural economy wages tend to be lower

• Disproportionate importance of agri food sector

• Brexit

• Barriers to employment – transport, childcare & benefits

• Disconnect between business and education/training sector



valued by everyone.

• We will promote rural prosperity by providing support to non-

farming rural enterprises to help increase rural business start-

ups, sustainability and growth

• We will champion the need to address the personal and

practical issues which create barriers to employability for our

rural citizens

• We will invest in and develop our rural society


Working Group 5 Connectivity

Presented by: Niall Heaney


valued by everyone.


Rural Community Network Department for the Economy

NI Rural Women's Network Department for Infrastructure

Easilink Community Transport Department for Communities

Libraries NI DAERA - Rural Affairs Division

Rural Support Network - Northern Area

Community Network

Mourne Gullion & Lecale Rural

Development Partnership

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Mid Ulster District Council

Ards & North Down Borough Council


valued by everyone.

To improve connectivity between rural and urban

areas



valued by everyone.

• 18% growth in population in rural NI (2001-17) (compared to only 6% in urban NI)

• Only 67% of rural areas are covered by Superfast Broadband compared to98% in urban areas

• Average annual salary is £20,030 in rural areas compared to £22,089 in urban areas

• Only 22% of rural dwellers are a 3 min walk to nearest bus stop (compared to 41% in urban areas) with annual commuting miles and reliance on a car more prevalent

• 58% of NI businesses are rurally based compared to 42% urban based

Working Group 5 – Context


valued by everyone.

• We will support balanced regional development by promoting

better connectivity between urban and rural centres

• We will reduce barriers to accessing services in rural areas

• We will support improved telecommunications infrastructure

including high speed broadband making it available to as many

people as possible regardless of where they live



valued by everyone.

• We will support sustainable public transport services between

rural areas and urban centres and encourage active and public

transport usage that better meets the needs of rural citizens



valued by everyone.

Opportunities, Gaps,

Connections & Synergies


valued by everyone.

Feedback


valued by everyone.

Next Steps


valued by everyone.

Lunch

rural stakeholder engagement...

Documents