Issues and SWOT

strength

Specialist learning facilities are in use

Pupils moved into Ysgol Robert Owen before its March 2026 ceremony.

Proposed response: Judge the investment through usable support and access.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £621 a month (August 2026) in Powys council area. This is £225 lower than the Wales average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 9.2% in Tawe Uchaf to 32% in Llandrindod South — a gap of 22.8 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

strength

Bring support closer to people in poor health

5.9% of people reported bad or very bad health in Powys council area (21 March 2021). Across Wales, the figure was 6.9%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.6% in Brecon East to 10.9% in Welshpool Castle — a gap of 7.3 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

strength

Connect local skills to local opportunities

31.9% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Powys council area. Across Wales, the figure was 31.5%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.2% in Yscir with Honddu Isaf and Llanddew to 31% in Welshpool Castle — a gap of 18.8 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

weakness

New care housing needs care staff as well as homes

The extra-care schemes combine accommodation with council care and support.

Proposed response: Plan the service capacity alongside the buildings.

Evidence

opportunity

Connect the lake with everyday journeys

The Llandrindod scheme is designed to improve town-centre links.

Proposed response: Check that the route is useful for walking and wheeling as well as cycling.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

27.9% of people in Powys council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.9% in Newtown Central and South to 39.6% in Llangunllo with Norton — a gap of 24.7 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Powys council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 9.9% in Glasbury to 27.9% in Welshpool Castle — a gap of 18 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Opening expectations must not become assumed capacity

The extra-care page gives future opening dates for two sites.

Proposed response: Verify both usable homes and service readiness before counting new capacity.

Evidence