FIRST THINGS FIRST

Much of the Wexford CDB's work over the last two years has involved "mapping" and analysing the socio-
economic position of the County. Allied to that has been an examination of the capability of existing services and strategies to meet current and emerging needs. Our emphasis has been on the areas where services and agencies overlap so that we could ensure an integrated focus on the needs of the citizen and ensure that there are neither gaps nor duplication in service delivery. The process is an ongoing one and in a sense this Section sets out the current `state of thinking' of the Board on the issues emerging and highlighted in summary form in Section 4. It is not proposed to detail here all of the CDB's analysis and workings: full details of the various inputs to the process can be found on our website (www.wexfordcdb.ie) or from our office.

In order to better understand the emerging strategies, outlined in the following Sections, however it is important to understand the context within which the CDB is working and what the Board consider the main issues to be.

ECONOMIC ISSUES

Traditionally Wexford has been economically successful and prosperous. This prosperity was built on the basis of an efficient and thriving farm sector and on a significant industrial base, particularly in Wexford Town. Overall Wexford's position as `the Model County' stems from this prosperity and today Wexford has many strengths, which make it an excellent location for business investment. Among these we can include:

• A strong tradition of enterprise
• An excellent working environment and quality of life
• Energy and capacity to grow in the local economy
• A strong track record in indigenous job creation
• Strong public sector support for business investment
• The largest population base in the south-east at 104,000 people
• Good national road linkage to Dublin and other commercial centres
• Easy access to Britain and mainland Europe via Rosslare Europort
  

We can therefore look forward to a successful economic future. The recent decision by PFPC International
Ltd. to establish here is evidence of Wexford's continuing attractiveness as a business location. However in recent times Wexford's economy has not performed as strongly as it traditionally did. The twin pillars on
which our prosperity was built have been significantly weakened. Our high dependence on agriculture (17.7% of the workforce) is not an advantage at present given the substantial problems being experienced by that sector. Our industrial base has been concentrated in traditional sectors, e.g. metals and engineering, and has experienced little productivity growth. It is therefore vulnerable to external competition. Plant closures, experienced in all of the main towns in recent years, are evidence of the vulnerability inherent on reliance on these sectors alone. The resultant job-losses have been deeply traumatic for the people concerned.

The news is not all bleak however. Farming will continue to play a very significant part in our economy and
Wexford enjoys considerable competitive advantages over other farming regions of Ireland and Europe. It is necessary however to understand and assist the necessary changes underway in agriculture and to assist the many farmers who can be expected to cease full time farming to integrate into the industrial and service economy. The Board also considers it essential that rural communities are sustained and strengthened so that families can continue to live in these areas as dependence on agriculture as the primary economic activity lessens.

Recent years have seen consistent gains in employment in the county. However our over-reliance on traditional industries needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. There needs to be a better mix of industry sectors, with more representation in `modern' segments such as pharmaceutical, information technology and internationally traded services. Therefore the arrival of PFPC International Ltd. and recent expansions at Clearstream in Enniscorthy and Lake Region n New Ross is to be welcomed, coming as they do after a period of very little inward investment into the county.

Statistically Wexford's economic position is one of the most troubled in the country and is certainly comparable with that of many counties currently within the BMW region. However the BMW region is favoured by Government policy in terms of economic development and the CDB consider that this needs to be redressed if we are to secure a reasonable share of economic growth. Indeed, given Wexford's deep-seated structural problems the CDB consider that the development agencies need to have a proactive bias in favour of Wexford in developing their strategies. Such an approach would require Government sanction.

In general terms the CDB is also concerned by the `low pay, low skill' nature of many of the jobs currently being created as it considers that such employment is particularly vulnerable in the event of a sustained recession.

The CDB is conscious of the necessity to ensure that Wexford has sufficient penetration of information technology into our economy. As the `information society' continues to expand it is essential that Wexford be in the forefront of adoption of new technologies or we risk missing the next wave of employment creation.

In formulating strategies to meet these challenges the Board has built heavily upon the work of the Wexford Enterprise Initiative, established by An Tanaiste Mary Harney TD.

Wexford Fact:

average gross incomes in Wexford are, at 16,497 euros, the lowest in Ireland.

       
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SOCIAL ISSUES

In terms of social development it is the view of the CDB that Wexford's position is broadly consistent with
that of our neighbouring counties in the south-east region. There are significant social exclusion issues in
the county, which need to be addressed. The CDB consider that these are significantly impacted by our relatively poor economic position. Wexford has average income levels among the lowest in the country and high levels of social welfare dependency. This can be linked to relatively high unemployment levels and to low pay levels in existing employment. Overall the CDB considers that improved economic development will favourably impact on many of the identified issues.

Some problems are particularly deep- seated however. In particular the Board is concerned about education, which emerged as a cross-cutting issue right across the Board's work. Two problems in particular stand out; early school-leaving and relatively low levels of educational attainment. The CDB found it particularly difficult to develop strategies to address these issues, as the linkages between the education system (other than the VEC) and the Board are completely inadequate for the task. Although a number of ad-hoc mechanisms were developed, the CDB considers that it is essential that local level structures be developed within the education
system to integrate into the Board's work.

In terms of the problems identified there are several initiatives underway to address early-school leaving. The CDB has tried to support and expand on these. Regarding higher education, after many years of consistently low levels of enrolment from the county in third- level institutions, we are now seeing our position approach the norm. The recently established Wexford Institute for Higher Education can also be expected to positively impact on these numbers.

Even if the enrolment of school- leavers reaches national norms there is still a substantial educational deficit within the county. There is some evidence that this is cultural to a certain extent, possibly linked to the county's traditionally strong economy, which made employment possible without high levels of formal education. However we need to generate greater awareness of the value of education and the very significant linkage between education standard achieved, and the income levels and employment prospects which individuals can expect.

The Strategy must also take account of the socially excluded groups currently experiencing disadvantage, and in particular the CDB is conscious that many of these groups will not necessarily benefit proportionately from economic growth alone. The Boards consultation process has highlighted travellers, people with disabilities,
older people and non-national immigrants as particular groups, which require a sustained effort to redress their difficulties. However significant other exclusion issues also exist and many of these are cross-cutting across many areas of the CDB's work. Issues include rural poverty and isolation; localised urban areas of disadvantage; and equality issues including equal access to education and employment opportunities. Our intention is to take these forward in line with the revised National Anti-Poverty Strategy (NAPS) themes and targets.

While the CDB would expect that many of the strategies outlined in this document will positively impact on
such issues we are conscious that social exclusion must remain a key focus of our work and this will be a
high priority of the Board's implementation and monitoring activity. In particular the Social Inclusion Measures Working Group, established by the CDB, will have a key role to play. While there are a very significant number of programmes and projects being advanced by state agencies, local development agencies and community groups the CDB believes that there is considerable value to be added by closer co-ordination and co-operation between agencies in the design and delivery of these programmes. The CDB is ideally placed to broker and assist this process.

A significant issue, which arose for the CDB during its analysis, was access to good data at county and sub-county level on social exclusion related issues. Although significant progress was made, there are substantial
grounds for improvement and a key focus of the CDB's work on an ongoing basis will be to collate and
publish such data.

The CDB also notes declining levels of civic participation and community involvement, particularly volunteerism. Our democratic system, both representational and participative, needs active involvement by citizens to be effective. The network of linkages through the community also forms the key element of our `social capital', which is directly linked to our economic prosperity and quality of life. The CDB considers it essential that such activity be promoted and developed.

Wexford Fact:

over 36% of the population is "age dependent" (i.e. under 15 or over 65): the national equivalent figure is under 32%

       
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CULTURAL ISSUES

On a positive note the CDB found abundant evidence of a thriving and vibrant culture in the county. There
are a wide variety of cultural activities and projects in progress with a strong support and commitment from the
community and, where appropriate, public agencies. Many of our cultural strengths are of international
standard, e.g. the Wexford Festival Opera and our many accomplished writers. There is an obvious interest
in, and development of, local heritage and culture and a wide variety of events including festivals and shows.

Overall the CDB consider that these initiatives are best supported within existing mechanisms, e.g. the County Council's Arts Programme, and specific strategies by the CDB are not the most appropriate mechanism.

Strategically however the CDB consider that the opportunity exists for Wexford to develop as the cultural centre of the South-East. Our competitive advantages include:

• the largest population base in the region
• a strong existing base of culture and cultural activities
• easy access from Dublin
• support and commitment from public agencies.

Such positioning would have significant advantages in terms of quality of life for our people, employment and economic benefits (including tourism) and development of an attractive `brand' for our county. We are already significantly advanced in this direction. However considerable work remains to be done.

A key deficit is performance and exhibition facilities. In this context the Board supports the ambitious development plans of the Wexford Festival Opera, which promise to develop a range of facilities of national
importance. The Board also believes that Wexford can support, and should promote, the development of a
culture centre of regional scale. Wexford should also develop exhibition space for art to a regional standard.

In the sports sphere as well there are significant deficits in terms of facilities, although this varies across different sporting codes.

Although there has been substantial investment, both from the state and community fund raising, for facility development much of this has been channelled to single purpose projects. The CDB consider that what is required is the imaginative development of multi-purpose facilities which can be developed to the highest standards and which can be shared by many users. This will require flexibility and a partnership approach by project organisers and an appropriate response from project funders.

The CDB is very encouraged by feedback from the community sector during our consultative process on
these issues. We believe that there is ample support for this approach, and indeed several projects underway are already demonstrating it. The appropriate role for the CDB will be to assist in the identification of strategic opportunities and assistance in project management. The Board also considers that the various bodies giving grant-aid for culture and sporting facilities should have an active bias in favour of multi-purpose facilities and partnership projects.

In similar vein, the CDB supports the establishment of a Local Sports Partnership in Wexford and will
promote this project. In the event that an LSP is established the CDB and its member organisations will
assist and support its activities.

A key `intangible' aspect of culture is the extent to which local culture is fostered and supported by informal contact and networking between individuals and groups. Some key priorities identified were:

1. The importance of accessible urban space
2. Access from rural areas
3. Play and Recreation facilities for children
4. Space for Community activity
5. Environmental recreational activities.

As the urban environment becomes more congested there is a sense that there is less and less room for `people'. Town and village centres have been colonised by vehicle movement and parking, and urban design has tended to actively discourage the creation of space where people can linger and socially interact in an informal way. In the evenings and night-time our urban centres are routinely subject to anti- social behaviour, which is threatening and alienating to the majority of the population. These issues can be addressed successfully if there is a sustained commitment to do so.

We also need to recognise that much of our cultural activity is town based and this can create obvious transport difficulties for populations based in the rural areas. An adequate system of rural transport is necessary.

Our infrastructure for play and recreation for children is completely inadequate for the needs of a modern
society. Although there have been a number of innovative local authority and community projects recently, in general terms play facilities for children in County Wexford are under-developed. A concerted programme of development of such facilities is essential. Related to this is the issue of safety to play in housing estates and residential areas. Again a primacy has been given to the car, and we now need to reconsider how open spaces are developed within estates to give children safe, sustainable areas for play.

The CDB's consultations in the community have also indicated a deficit of facilities, particularly meeting room and `event' space, for community groups. A network needs to be created throughout the county of managed and high quality venues for such activity. In the main such development should concentrate on the adaptation of existing premises in public ownership in the first instance.

Wexford Fact:

Wexford has well over one hundred sports clubs and/or facilities ... with Gaelic Games and Soccer being the
most popular sports

       
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DRAWING IT ALL TOGETHER

Wexford is a multi-faceted County with a distinctive culture and vibrant people, which give it a unique character. It also, in line with most Counties in Ireland is not without its economic and social difficulties. The County and its people have the strengths, the will, the ability, and the resources to maximise the opportunities and overcome the challenges being presented at the start of the 21st century.

We cannot overstress that the value that the CDB can bring to this process is in providing the forum for
public agencies and social partners to discuss the issues to be addressed ina partnership process, and for the various public agencies with responsibilities to co-ordinate their efforts. The complexity of the problems facing our society is not amenable to being addressed solely within the sphere of single agencies but requires co-ordinated responses from a variety of different agencies.

Providing the focus for this discussion, and linking it to the wider community, is where the CDB can add value to the delivery of public services in our county. The CDB is not an executive agency and the delivery of individual actions and programmes within the strategy is, and remains, the responsibility of the relevant agency. It is important to recognise that in developing its strategies the CDB has drawn on, and developed from, the enormous range of programmes already in place.

CDB processes are heavily based in the principles of inclusivity and social partnership. These methods in turn have been built heavily on existing projects in the county, particularly the work of the Wexford Enterprise Initiative and the local development agencies. We have also tried to develop new ways of working with community groups and the wider community to formulate policy in an integrated partnership that builds on existing activity without seeking to supplant or replace it.

There is the danger in a new process such as this of expecting too much too soon, or conversely of having too limited expectations. The CDB is beginning to demonstrate its potential and we are embarked on an ongoing process, a journey rather than a destination. However the people of Wexford are entitled to expect concrete actions to flow from the work of the CDB and not just analyses or unfocused objectives.

13% of the County's population has a Third Level qualification compared with 19% nationally.

       
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