Aberystwyth University academics are surveying community and town councils to explore how resilient and adaptive Welsh communities are.
The study will consider key influences in people’s lives on a day-to-day basis and in times of crises – such as infrastructure, democracy, community services, local buildings and support for culture and Welsh language.
The research is being carried out by the Cymru Wledig Local Policy and Innovation Partnership (LPIP) for Rural Wales, which is led by Aberystwyth University and funded by UKRI.
Dr Lucy Baker from the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences said: “Communities are currently facing multiple major challenges, with public spending cuts, increased responsibility at a community level as a consequence of asset transfers bringing increased responsibilities to the smallest geographical scale, and the public struggling through the cost-of-living crisis.
“We hope that the survey will shine a light upon some of these challenges, to help other stakeholders like authorities, government, third sector organisations, businesses, and community groups help address some of these issues.
“We’re also hoping to see some inspiring examples of what has been happening within our communities to build a resilient future.”
Researchers at Aberystwyth University have teamed up with One Voice Wales to distribute the survey to community and town councils across Wales.
Lyn Cadwallader, Chief Executive of One Voice Wales, said: “Community and town councils are incredibly important in being the democratically elected first point of contact and playing a big role in people’s everyday lives through doing things like managing community assets, providing contact with local authorities and organising key events.
“We need to expand our knowledge of the diverse activities and challenges of community and town councils across Wales.
“This survey will give us an opportunity to get up-to-date information about resilience and assets within our communities.”
The survey is open until the end of January.