GUEST COLUMN:
Cllr Jackie Charlton
Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys
Powys County Council
The economic ambitions of Mid Wales depend on our ability to connect people, businesses and places across two of the most rural counties in Wales. With a dispersed population, long distances between communities and very different transport needs from one area to another, investment has to reflect how people actually live, work and travel across Powys and Ceredigion.
That is why the Mid Wales Regional Transport Plan is about far more than individual road, bus or active travel schemes. Developed jointly across Powys and Ceredigion through the Mid Wales Corporate Joint Committee, it provides a regional framework for investing in the infrastructure that supports economic activity, access to employment and the future resilience of our communities.
The plan has now been approved by Welsh Government, with more than £13 million of funding beginning to move into delivery. That gives us an important opportunity to strengthen the connections on which businesses, residents and visitors rely, while recognising that transport, economic development and community wellbeing are closely linked.
For local businesses, confidence in the surrounding infrastructure is essential. The economy of Mid Wales is largely built around smaller firms, and those businesses need to know that they can move goods, reach customers and attract people to work for them.
Roads will continue to play a central role. Our rail network is excellent for passengers but is not one suitable for businesses to rely on to move goods across the region, which means the road network must support their practical needs. Our trunk roads and main county roads provide important links, but connections from those routes into some of our most rural communities are more difficult.
Improving those links can make it easier for businesses to operate from locations beyond the main towns. It can also help people living in rural communities to reach employment, giving firms access to a wider workforce and residents greater choice over where they can work.
Public transport is part of that economic picture. Businesses need employees to be able to travel from home to the workplace, while communities need dependable links to town centres, services and opportunities elsewhere in the region.
Our demographics make this particularly important. Mid Wales has an ageing population, and over the coming years more people may be less willing or able to depend on driving. Young people also need transport to reach education, apprenticeships and employment before they have access to a car.
That is why demand-responsive and community transport can become increasingly valuable. In a region with a low population spread across a large area, conventional fixed routes will not always provide the full answer. Services that respond more closely to local demand can connect rural communities with the wider transport network and help people reach the places they need to go.
The same improvements can support the visitor economy. Powys and Ceredigion have some of the most attractive landscapes in the UK and already host events that bring large numbers of visitors into the region. Those people need to be able to move around once they arrive.
Visitors from overseas, in particular, may not arrive with a car. They will expect public transport that enables them to travel from one destination to another with reasonable ease. Strengthening those connections can help us develop the tourism offer across both counties and encourage people to explore more of the region rather than remaining in one place.
Active travel also has a role beyond commuting. Walking and cycling are part of the experience visitors come to Mid Wales to enjoy, and improved routes can support businesses connected to tourism while giving residents better access to the countryside.
Powys has around 9,000 kilometres of rights of way, but maintaining and improving that network requires investment. Living in a rural area does not automatically mean that the countryside is easy to reach, particularly where paths are difficult to use or access has become restricted.
Improving that network offers benefits for tourism, health and wellbeing, as well as for the communities through which those routes pass. It can broaden what visitors are able to do and make it easier for residents to enjoy the landscape around them.
The strength of the Regional Transport Plan is that it allows us to consider these connections together. A transport service that helps a resident reach work may also help a visitor reach an attraction. A better road link can support the movement of goods while improving access to services. An active travel route can serve local journeys and strengthen the tourism economy.
By working across Powys and Ceredigion, we can make a stronger case for transport solutions that reflect the geography of Mid Wales and support our wider economic priorities. The funding now moving into delivery gives us the opportunity to build infrastructure that businesses can rely on, communities can use and visitors can navigate with greater confidence.
Jackie speaks about this and more on Unlocking Mid Wales, the Growing Mid Wales podcast series. Listen here:
