UK Data Archive Study Number 7705 - Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods: Localities Programme, 2009-2010

WISERD Locality studies: Methodology and Interview Schedule

WISERD has developed a programme of research around three localities in Wales – the Heads of Valleys (HoV) region north of (known as the Cardiff locality); the Central and West Coast region (comprising the unitary authorities of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire and the former district of Montgomeryshire in Powys and known as the Aberystwyth locality); and the A55 corridor from Wrexham to Holyhead in North Wales (known as the Bangor locality). This research has involved interviewing 120 stakeholders across the three localities who have links to one of eight policy areas identified by the Welsh Government and WISERD as reflecting the range of key devolved and non-devolved policy areas. These also map onto existing networks and centres of excellence of academic research in Wales.

Policy Area

Crime, public space and policing Education and young people

Language, citizenship and identity Environment, tourism and leisure Economic development and Health, wellbeing and social care regeneration

Housing and transport Employment and training

It was recognised early on that there are a number of relevant domains of experience implied in the term ’stakeholder’ including professional, policy, third sector, grass-roots and other forms of expertise, and that these vary in relation to different actors’ capacity to act; relation to the local, national and regional state; scale and scope of perceived remit; experience of and access to local lives and knowledge; access to state resources and power. In particular, there is a hierarchy of power and resources in which state officials are located at one end and local citizens at the other. In between there are different levels and types of intermediate organisation, including statutory agencies, civil society organisations and voluntary sector groups.

Crime, Health, Education Public Language, Environment, Economic Housing Localities 1, Wellbeing Employment & Young Space Citizenship Tourism & Devel.& and 2, 3 & Social & Training TIERS TIERS People & & Identity Leisure Regeneration Transport Care Policing State Authorities Unitary Authority (UA) TIER1 Statutory agencies, partnerships; Quangos, ASPBs TIER2 UK Data Archive Study Number 7705 - Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods: Localities Programme, 2009-2010

Tiers 1 And 2 As a first swathe of interviews, then, it was decided that interviews with higher-level Service Directors and Managers at Tier 1 would provide an obvious means of cross-comparability in the three localities. In this, we recognised that Directors and Service Managers would give us 'on the record' accounts designed for public consumption; however, it was felt that as long these were replicated, where possible, across the three localities we would obtain illuminating insights into the ‘public faces’ of UA policy. It was also recognised that commencing with Tier 1 interviews would aid in the identification of Tier 2 stakeholders, since Tier 1 interviewees were asked to identify in interview the key individuals with whom they worked in relevant partnerships, agencies, ASPBs, etc.

Selection of interviewees Our starting point was to take advantage of such comparability as there was in Tier 1 posts across the three localities. Hence, we ensured that, where possible, stakeholders occupying comparable positions and functions in local government were identified in order that interviewees’ remit could be broadly matched. This task of identifying ‘mirroring’ post- holders turned out to more challenging than expected.

To find out to what extent there were comparable posts at Tiers 1 and 2 in the three localities, researchers used a combination of web-searches and phone calls to relevant UA departments to map the departmental/directorate structure in each UA. This information required us to understand the organisational structure of key functions in each UA, and involved considerably more investigatory work than expected.

3.1. Unitary Authority structures: Tier 1 There were potentially three Unitary Authorities, covering a large population area, contained within or having a footfall within the three localities, meaning that we did not have the resources to include them all. Therefore it was decided to select interviewees from Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tyfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf in the Heads of Valley’s locality (since the first two are wholly contained in the HoV designated area and the last is the largest Valley authority); Gwynnedd and Wrexham in the North Wales locality, and Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire in the West and Coastal Wales locality.

During this mapping process, it became clear that there was a great deal of variation in the relative structures in place in each UA, and also that the public accessibility and availability of this information varied widely (for example, unlike the North and West localities, the HoV authorities did not publish information about the departmental structure on the Web. More significantly, there were discrepancies in terms of how management tiers were organised, in that some service directors reported directly up to chief executive, whilst for others there was a further tier in-between.

To get a handle on UA structures, researchers produced templates identifying the directorate/departmental structure in each of the selected UAs. Comparing templates across localities allowed the three teams to identify those posts that were mirrored in all three, and where there were gaps. Because of the problems 'matching up' high level representatives across the UAs (not only in terms of our themes, but also in terms of different organizational structures and job remits) it was decided that we should aim to talk to the top Service Directors (but not Group Directors or the chief executive, as their remit too broad) in our UK Data Archive Study Number 7705 - Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods: Localities Programme, 2009-2010

UAs. Eventually we were able to compile a list of comparable stakeholder posts across the three localities - e.g. Director of Education, Director of Tourism, Director of Health, Director of Regeneration, etc – in relation to job titles and functions. Non-relevant departments such as Human Resources and Legal Services were omitted. By Autumn 2009 a joint list of targeted Tier 1 interviewees had been compiled, interviews were commenced, and work on compiling the Tier 2 list was initiated.

Selection of organizations: Tier 2 Tier 2 included ‘shadow state’ actors, not employed in UAs, but acting in partnerships with them to deliver services and policy. They included Local Health Boards; Job Centre Plus and JobMatch; Community Safety Partnerships; Communities First (Overarching Coordinators); Visit Wales, Further Education Colleges, Careers Wales, Arts Council Wales, Welsh Language Boards, Welsh Transport Consortia (Tracc, Taith, Sewta), Countryside Council for Wales, Children and Young People Partnerships, Youth Offending Team managers, CAFCASS, National Museums, regional housing associations, Race & Equality councils (VALREC, NWREN), local Secondary Schools Clusters/Forums/Consortia.

Interview schedule The interview schedule (Appendix 1) was designed, firstly, to reveal firstly WHAT the local meant to diverse stakeholders and HOW they came to know, define and enact it in their day- to-day practice in relation to other actors, defined agendas and perceived resources. What constructs did they employ in talking about the local area? What knowledge did they produce about it and what data did they draw upon in doing so? Were there any gaps?

Secondly, it was designed to discover what current issues were on the table for stakeholders and how they were approaching these, particularly in relation to the roles of other actors and organisations they worked with, institutional constraints and resources, and the agendas that were currently emerging and how these had changed. How were current issues related to the past? How was success defined? What were the successes and failures of the day? How did the interviewee define his or her remit and role?

Thirdly, we wanted to address issues of resources, power and autonomy: who makes the decisions that affect the interviewee’s day-to-day working? How can local people influence decisions that affect them? How were the recession/budget cuts affecting the interviewee’s remit?

We ended with the question ‘What is Wales’?

Conduct and transcription of interviews Interviews began towards the end of Oct 2009. Each interviewee was sent a standard letter of invitation in Welsh and English, together with a one-page outline of the WISERD Localities programme and the letters were then followed up by a researcher phone call to arrange date and time. A consent form was given to each interviewee to sign (Appendix 2). A summary of the interview schedule was sent out in advance to interviewees who requested it.

Transcription Transcription of interviews from all three teams was handled centrally by the WISERD Hub Office, and audio files uploaded to a secure server using a file-name format agreed by all three locality teams. Interview invitations and follow-up actions were recorded via a tracking spreadsheet on the secure shared server. Interview transcripts were checked for errors by UK Data Archive Study Number 7705 - Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods: Localities Programme, 2009-2010

the interviewers, as far as time permitted, and were then imported into the computer software program, Atlas-ti. Transcripts of their interview were sent to each interviewee together with a thank-you note, after the interview had taken place. Interviewees were invited to add to or comment on their interview transcript, but none did so.

Problems encountered As is usual in large-scale interview projects, there were some problems encountered in making contact with a few interviewees and with securing dates for interviews. A small number of interviewees refused to take part or could not be contacted in spite of repeated efforts; these had to be deleted from the matrix since the team was working to a deadline of end of March 2010 for all interviews to be completed. The table below is a summary of the stakeholder interviews by unitary authority and tier.

Number of Locality Unitary Authority Tier Interviewees Ceredigion 1 8 Ceredigion 2 5 Pembrokeshire 1 7 Aberystwyth Pembrokeshire 2 3 Other 1 1 Other 2 12 Gwynedd 1 6 Gwynedd 2 16 Bangor Wrexham 1 8 Wrexham 2 5 Blaenau Gwent 1 6 Blaenau Gwent 2 5 Merthyr Tydfil 1 5 Cardiff Merthyr Tydfil 2 5 Rhondda Cynon Taf 1 9 Rhondda Cynon Taf 2 11 Other 2 8

While the last of the interviews were being carried out, plans for commencing analysis were developed. It was apparent that the quality of a) interviews and b) transcripts varied to some degree across the corpus. Some interviews were longer and fuller than others; this was largely due to the time made available by interviewees and their readiness to talk in detail, and to the different styles of questioning used by different interviewers. Some transcripts were closely and some more loosely transcribed, which introduced some inconsistency, although this did not adversely affect the comparability of interviews. UK Data Archive Study Number 7705 - Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods: Localities Programme, 2009-2010

Appendix 1: The interview schedule

Section 1: Stakeholder identity Note: Emphasis placed on role, rather than on We are interviewing you with regard your role/job as …. individual

Can you describe your job? What do you do? How did you get in to your current role?

Who do you engage with and why? Ask: Up, down, sideways

What does success look like in your role? Note: Make note of how they define success to come back Where do you see yourself in three or four years’ time? to at end

Section 2: Stakeholder perceptions of place/locality

What’s your patch? Ask: geographical and remit

Who are the people you work with - what are their patches? Note: word patch should be used as has proved useful in How does your [patch] relate to those [patches]? (relationality across scales) first pilots

Are there any other key relationships to your [patch] and for your role? Note: Work with their definition of their ‘patch’ What is your [patch] like now?

If you had to describe it someone who has not been here, how would you describe it? In what way is this place different to others? What are people like in the [patch]? Ask about ‘good’ areas and ‘bad’ areas Are there differences within the [patch]?

How has [patch] changed? For better for worse? Note: Refer to differences How have different parts of the [patch] been affected differently? Or, if no differences across patch now described above: Is this the case across [patch]? Ask: People, places, economic, social, cultural, environmental, political changes

How have people coped? How haven’t they coped? (Coping strategies: how have people adapted their lives to these issues?)

How do you think the needs of [patch] will change in the future?

Ask: National schemes, local What has impacted on changes in your [patch]? schemes, politics, economic UK Data Archive Study Number 7705 - Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods: Localities Programme, 2009-2010

change, culture and events

How have you come to know this? (what patch is like now and how it has changed and Ask: Unpick what is it that how it will change) informs this position on the past, present and future of Do you do any data collection on this? the patch – data / biography Difference between personal and professional know ledges (e.g. I have lived or other resources drawn on here all my life OR I have talked to these people with work) to inform / report this.

What information / data would you like to know but don’t, how would this improve your capacity to do your job?

Why don’t you have this data (does it exist; do they have access)? How can this be changed?

What are the key issues that are going on here? And how does this relate to other Note: EU, Wales, UK, regions places? – do not prompt on country Follow up on issues How do you know this? How do these issues impact + and - on the lives of those in the locality? What was/is your role in helping to address or maintain these issues? Other people’s roles in helping to address or maintain these issues. Barriers and facilitators to helping address or sustain them.

Section 3: Power and resources

Who makes decisions that affect your patch

What are the crucial resources for you to conduct your work? To what extent are these Ask: geography and remit as available? Where do you get resources from? How could resource availability be well as scale – up, down and better? How does the availability of resources impact on success? – what is available how these interact what is lacking and sharing and competition over these resources?

To what extent can people affect decisions about their locality? Who? How? Which decisions? To what extent? Is this the case across the [patch]?

Refer back to their definition of success – what are the barriers and facilitators to Refer to notes on how they achieving this? defined success. Allow them to change definition of success in light of what they have said And Finally:

What is Wales?

What issues do you think will be the key things for us to follow and what would you hope would be the result of this?

UK Data Archive Study Number 7705 - Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods: Localities Programme, 2009-2010

Appendix 2: The Consent Form

Cyfweliadau Rhanddeiliad WISERD

A fyddech cystal ag arwyddo isod i ddangos eich bod yn deall y datganiadau ac yn cytuno â hwy.

• Rwyf wedi darllen a deall Proforma WISERD. • Mae aelod o’r tîm ymchwil wedi cynnig ateb unrhyw gwestiynau a all fod gennyf am yr astudiaeth a sut caiff y wybodaeth a roddaf ei defnyddio. • Bydd y cyfweliad yn cymryd tua 90 munud a bydd yn cael ei recordio yn ddigidol. • Caiff eich data eu cadw mewn archif ddiogel. • Deallaf y gall fy ngeiriau gael eu dyfynnu mewn cyhoeddiadau, adroddiadau, gweddalennau, a deunyddiau ymchwil eraill ond ni chaiff fy enw ei ddefnyddio. • Deallaf bod cymryd rhan yn y cyfweliad hwn yn gyfan gwbl wirfoddol. Nid oes rhaid i mi ateb unrhyw un o’r cwestiynau nad wyf am eu hateb, ac os wyf am ddod â’r cyfweliad i ben gallaf wneud hynny ar unrhyw adeg. Nid oes rhaid i mi roi unrhyw reswm nac esboniad dros wneud hynny. • Rwyf wedi darllen a deall y wybodaeth hon ac yn cytuno i gymryd rhan yn y cyfweliad.

Enw (LLYTHRENNAU BRAS)

Arwyddwyd ______Dyddiad ______(Y person sy’n cael ei gyfweld)

Arwyddwyd ______Dyddiad ______(Ymchwilydd)

Os oes gennych unrhyw bryderon ynghylch yr astudiaeth hon, yna cysylltwch â Rheolwr y Ganolfan WISERD, Victoria Macfarlane ar 029 208 79338 neu anfonwch ebost i [email protected]. Medrwch hefyd ysgrifennu atom: WISERD, Ysgol Gwyddorau Cymdeithasol Prifysgol Caerdydd, Adeilad Morgannwg, Rhodfa’r Brenin Edward VII, Caerdydd, CF10 3WT.

UK Data Archive Study Number 7705 - Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods: Localities Programme, 2009-2010

WISERD Stakeholder Interviews

Please sign below to show that you understand the statements and agree to them.

• I have read and understood the WISERD Proforma. • A member of the research team has offered to answer any questions I might have about the study and how the information I provide will be used. • The interview will last for approximately 90 minutes and be digitally recorded. • Your data will be stored in a secure archive. • I understand that my words may be quoted in publications, reports, web pages, and other research outputs but my name will not be used. • I understand that other researchers may use my words in publications, reports, web pages, and other research outputs according to the terms I have specified in this form. • I understand that my participation in this interview is entirely voluntary, I do not have to answer any of the questions that I do not want to and if I wish to stop the interview, I may do so at any time. I do not need to give any reasons or explanations for doing so. • I have read and understand this information and I agree to take part in the interview.

Name (PLEASE PRINT)

Signed ______Date ______

(Interviewee)

Signed ______Date ______

(Researcher)

If you have any concerns about this study, please contact the WISERD Centre Manager, Victoria Macfarlane on 029 208 79338 or via email to [email protected]. You can also write to us at: WISERD, School of Social Sciences, Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3WT.