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Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) consists of 3 valleys in the South of Wales, around 15 miles north of Cardiff. The area has a proud industrial heritage, but the decline of the coal mining industry brought serious and persistent unemployment to the region and its legacy continues to have a negative impact on the health of the community. The people of RCT live in some of the most deprived parts of the UK, spend more time experiencing poor health, and live up to 20-years less than people living in better-off areas.
RCT County Borough Council was awarded NIHR funding to establish a Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) in 2024. Councillors have been a critical part of embedding the HDRC’s work, and have been active in establishing priorities, championing the benefits of the HDRC and collaborating on projects that are underway.
To ensure that the 75 councillors in Rhondda Cynon Taf have a strong voice throughout the development of the HDRC, RCT County Borough Council have set up an Elected Members Reference Group. The purpose of this group is to champion the work of the HDRC, represent the voice of elected members in contributing to the development of projects and funding bids and offer insight, advice, challenge and support to the HDRC team - providing a direct interface by which the team can seek feedback on plans and ideas. The group will exist for the lifetime of the HDRC and provides a voice, alongside public contributors and community and voluntary sector representatives, so that HDRC priorities reflect the Council’s Corporate Plan, as well as the needs of residents.
To ensure that the 75 councillors in Rhondda Cynon Taf have a strong voice throughout the development of the HDRC, RCT County Borough Council have set up an Elected Members Reference Group. The purpose of this group is to champion the work of the HDRC, represent the voice of elected members in contributing to the development of projects and funding bids and offer insight, advice, challenge and support to the HDRC team - providing a direct interface by which the team can seek feedback on plans and ideas. The group will exist for the lifetime of the HDRC and provides a voice, alongside public contributors and community and voluntary sector representatives, so that HDRC priorities reflect the Council’s Corporate Plan, as well as the needs of residents.
Members strongly believe that research taking place in RCT must be grounded in the needs of the local communities and should lead to action and positive change. The first piece of work the Reference Group has focused on is coproducing a training offer for elected members to build their capacity and confidence to use evidence in day to day Council business.
2 Cabinet members also sit on the Strategic Oversight Board for the HDRC, ensuring the political aspect of Council work is fully integrated into the strategic direction of the HDRC. This has also meant there are 2 ‘experts’ who can help to ensure that elected member colleagues have a good awareness and understanding of the work that is underway.
"Working together with the HDRC we are committed to driving change across the organisation, which will lead to positive impacts on the lives of the local population."
- Cllr Julie Edwards, Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Chair of the HDRC Members Reference Group
Focus groups with councillors have helped colleagues to ensure that the evidence used in reports is presented in a language and format that is accessible and in a way that enables elected members to focus on the questions that are important to them. During these conversations, councillors also stressed the importance of translating research findings into ‘real life’ information. Areas for bespoke training and support for elected members and decision-makers working with data were also identified.
RCT council colleagues and elected members have found it very helpful to use the HDRC devised ‘Evidence Pie’ to support the gathering and use of a range of different types of evidence to inform decision making and to ensure the evidence presented to decision makers is balanced.
This approach has already proved highly effective for work RCT County Borough Council are undertaking to understand the evidence base they currently have for Child Poverty. This is a key priority in the Council’s Corporate Plan and a cross party Scrutiny Committee Working Group has been established to explore the issue in more depth.
The ‘Evidence Pie’ is also being used to provide a framework for a new terms of reference structure that is being piloted by the Child Poverty Scrutiny Working Group, structuring meetings around the discussion and analysis of the different types of evidence that will be used to inform their recommendations.
For more information on the work being undertaken by NIHR HDRC RCT, please visit the website https://makeachange.rctcbc.gov.uk or contact HDRC@rctcbc.gov.uk
This page is available as a PDF, this webpage is the accessible version.
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