10 Social and Welfare

Issues and Priorities

  • The South West has the oldest demographic profile of any English region with the proportion of older people forecast to increase over the next twenty years. This will put greater pressure on policy makers and statutory and voluntary service providers in providing support for the elderly and infirm.
  • There are around half a million people in the South West providing unpaid care for family members, friends and neighbours. This constitutes a significant injection of resource and creates a challenge for policy makers and service providers in ensuring the continuation of this informal caring network and its support for a range of vulnerable groups.
  • Persistent and entrenched levels of worklessness present challenges for South West policy makers and service providers in increasing levels of economic activity as well as in addressing issues of deprivation and social exclusion. Reducing levels of worklessness is a challenge that, if met, will benefit both the economy and individuals alike.
  • The South West has relatively low levels of overall deprivation but has pockets of deprivation in many parts of the region. Poor access to services is a particular issue for many rural areas. Action taken to address deprivation will need to include a focus on these often quite small areas.
  • The Voluntary and Community Sector makes a significant and important contribution to the well being of people in the South West. The creation of the Office of the Third Sector and plans for the reform of local government bring with them a recognition of this contribution but also a challenge - to strengthen the relationship between the state and the sector and, through this, to build stronger communities. However, the move towards a new relationship also creates a tension for the voluntary and community sector - that of responding to the policy challenge whilst safeguarding the independence, principles and values on which it is based.