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CHAPTER SEVEN : CONCLUSIONS
7.1 This project explored the issues that are important for residents of Rural Service Priority Areas in seeking to obtain better access to high quality priority services. It was conducted through a combination of reviewing relevant existing local research and consultation findings and through primary qualitative focus group research.
7.2 The research identified a wide range of issues of concern to rural communities. It has identified key priority services for improvement and has explored how access to and/or quality of these should be improved to meet expectations.
7.3 The group discussions have confirmed the importance of a number of the key issues identified in previous research (as highlighted in the literature review) and have also identified a broad consistency over the Rural Service Priority Areas on what constitutes the top priorities for improvement. In particular, issues relating to public transportation, the road infrastructure, health and waste management featured in the literature and across the groups.
7.4 However, there are some distinct local and social group variations in causes of dissatisfaction with existing services and therefore improvement priorities. Examples include the greater prominence of access issues in relation to public transport and education in more remote areas. Age and life stage also affected perceptions of priority issues. Policy responses, at both a national and local level, will need to be sensitive to these.
7.5 There are also differences of emphasis between the literature review findings (of local research and consultation) and the group findings on priority issues for improvement. Much of the previous research and consultation focused on specific themes and/or groups of people. When presented with a blank canvas, as in this research, it is important to note that greater prominence has been given to issues relating to emergency services, telecommunications and utilities. Conversely, there were very few mentions of crime and job creation, which feature strongly in previous work which used different approaches to the open approach used in the local research.
7.6 Many of the service issues identified concerned services that are provided by both the public and private sectors, though interestingly, voluntary sector provision did not feature in the findings of the focus groups. Improvements can best be brought about by the co-ordinated effort of service providers and policy makers. This means there is a role not only for Community Planning Partners, but also the Scottish Executive and private sector providers.
7.7 These research findings have been used to inform discussions between the Scottish Executive and the Community Planning Partners to help to set broad targets for service improvements. CPPs are already seeking to address some of the issues raised in the research. It is important therefore that future efforts to improve access to and quality of services recognise the work already undertaken to identify and act upon community needs.
7.8 Given the sometimes negative views expressed about communication between communities, service providers and policy makers, the research has highlighted the importance of feeding back not just the findings of research and consultation (including this piece of work), but also the actions arising from them to the communities consulted. This is to help ensure the communities feel they have been listened to and that the value of outcome orientated research is appreciated.
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