The Authority has recently launched a four question survey to find out if ‘Communities are inspired by, and recognise the benefits of, living in the National Park’. The short questionnaire is aimed at National Park communities, and seeks to find out what benefits local residents receive from living in a National Park.
It’s all part of an internal scrutiny review, in collaboration with partners from external agencies, that will help the Authority understand what is important to people who live in the National Park, and help the Authority improve its services.
The survey is available online at the Authority’s website www.breconbeacons.org. All responses are handled in confidence, and the deadline for receiving responses is January 10th 2013.
Besides the stunning views and haven for local wildlife, the National Park Authority also provides information, preserves the local environment, provides funding for local groups and supports local businesses involved in tourism.
One of the National Park Authority’s statutory duties is to foster the social and economic wellbeing of its communities, and by taking part in this survey residents can help shape how the Authority carries out its work and how it can better benefit people living here.
The findings of the survey will be supplemented by a more detailed residents’ survey next year.
As well as the scrutiny survey, Authority Members and Officers together with partners from outside agencies are also holding interviews, hearings and focus groups to gather as much information as possible. The Scrutiny Panel would particularly like to hear from residents who were raised in the National Park, moved away, and then returned later in life.
Margaret Underwood, Chairman of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority’s Scrutiny Review Panel, added: “Scrutiny is really important to the National Park as it opens a window on how we are doing. In this scrutiny study I am delighted that we have been able to involve representatives from outside organisations representing a wide range of interests including young people, arts and community groups. In the study we aim to identify whether our activities contribute to the benefits of living in the National Park and whether living within the National Park boundaries does provide a source of inspiration.”
Punch Maughan, Director of Bannau Brycheiniog Tourism, said: “Bannau Brycheiniog Tourism has been delighted to be part of the scrutiny review. All of its members are residents in the Bannau Brycheiniog, but they are also the people who encourage visitors to share the place in which we all live and it is important to ensure that we have the balance right.”
Arts Alive Director Justine Wheatley, said: “Arts Alive Wales works with a wide range of professional artists and makers, whose work draws directly on the special qualities of our local natural and built environment. I think the review offers an opportunity to reflect on the nature of the relationship between environment and artistic practice.”
Chris Blake, Director of The Green Valleys, said: “Here at The Green Valleys we aim to inspire and support communities in the National Park to work together, and we’re delighted to see that the Authority is making this concerted effort to engage with its residents.”
To take part in the survey, please visit http://www.breconbeacons.org/the-authority/who-we-are/scrutiny. Alternatively, for more information or to take part in a focus group to discuss what inspires you about living in the National Park, please contact Lora Davies, Scrutiny Administration Officer, on 01874 624437 or by email.