A regional survey has been launched by public sector partners to seek views from residents across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys about the experiences they, and others may have, when trying to access a range of public services from housing to health.

Local authorities in the four regions along with Powys Teaching Health Board, Hywel Dda University Health Board, Dyfed Powys Police, Mid and West Wales Fire Service, Wales Ambulance Services NHS Trust, the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, Pembrokeshire Coastal National Park Authority and the Police and Crime commissioner, have collaborated to create the survey. Feedback will inform work around equality and how people with protected characteristics are affected or treated when trying to access services provided by the sector.

The survey focuses on key areas like education, housing, health, crime, leisure and access to the coast and countryside. It asks people to rate their own experiences of these services and their perceptions of the experience that other people in our society may have.

All public bodies have to produce a Strategic Equality Plan setting out how they will work to ensure services are provided and accessible to all residents and service users irrespective of their age, gender, sexuality, religion, language preference or disability.

There are nine protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission have recently published a report called ‘Is Wales Fairer’ (2018) which sets out the state of the nation when looking at the more vulnerable groups in society. The survey uses the key areas listed in the report as a focus.

Each public sector body has a duty to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation; advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not

Alongside the survey, each region will lead on engaging with particular community groups that represent and advocate for some of the less heard groups like LGBTQ or re-settled refugees.

The survey can be accessed on each partner website and closes on June 14.