The profile that follows is a general outline of the features of Pembrokeshire, to help put the Community Plan in context. Where possible, we have included links from this page to other web-sites where further information on that particular subject exists.

A Profile of Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire forms the south-western peninsula of Wales, bordered to the north and east by the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.

The county covers approximately 1,650 square kilometres, which is around 7.9% of the area of Wales. Approximately one third of the county's landmass forms the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the only National Park in the UK designated primarily for the beauty of its coastal features. The county is rich in areas of high conservation value, including Wales’ only Marine Nature Reserve, and internationally important sites (Special Areas of Conservation), such as the unique offshore islands with the nesting populations of seabirds. There are many pressures on the environment including land-use, waste disposal and transport which need to be managed to ensure that the quality of Pembrokeshire’s countryside is maintained.

The county is mainly rural, with a population density of 71 people per square kilometre, which is about half of the Welsh average. The population of 114,100 (2001 Census) lives in some 48,200 households. Just under half live in the five main towns of Fishguard, Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Pembroke and Pembroke Dock. Population projections show that the proportion of people of pensionable age will increase significantly in future years, and the number of young people will decline, which has implications for a number of services.

Pembrokeshire has an important agricultural base, but the economy is dominated by the service sector. Principal employers are associated with public administration, education and health, and tourism also accounts for significant numbers of employment opportunities including hotels, restaurants and goods distribution. The tourist industry has a significant effect on population at certain times of the year; for example 1,306,000 staying visits and a further 2,400,000 day visits were made in 2001, with an average of 56,000 visitors per day during August.

Pembrokeshire has many small businesses but few large ones. Although this is in many ways a good sign and one of an entrepreneurial culture, these businesses are often restricted by the small size of local markets. Pembrokeshire would benefit from a broader-based economy targeting high value added activities and business growth sectors.

Pembrokeshire's isolated geographical location is hindered by being poorly served by road and rail links, which worsens the perception of remoteness. Some recent road improvements have been completed on the A477 at Sageston/Redberth and the A40 at Fishguard. However, our location has contributed to fewer employment opportunities and thus levels of unemployment which are consistently above the Welsh average. There are some long-term unemployment hot spots. Average earnings are relatively low, which is attributed to a high proportion of the workforce working in relatively low paid sectors, including agriculture and tourism. This poor economic situation has led to Pembrokeshire, as part of a larger West Wales and the Valleys area, being targeted for the highest level of European grant assistance in the form of Objective 1 funding (between 2000 and 2006).

The ports of Fishguard and Pembroke Dock provide ferry links to Southern Ireland, resulting in a large throughput of people and traffic, both private and commercial, across the county. The port of Milford Haven is extremely important, especially for the oil industry, servicing two refineries and a tank storage depot.

Although Pembrokeshire as a whole is not particularly deprived, particular pockets of deprivation and social exclusion exist, especially in Pembroke Dock, Pembroke, Milford Haven, Neyland, Goodwick and Haverfordwest. This influences health to some extent, with higher than average levels of illness, long-term illness, disability and mortality, with a lower life expectancy in some of these areas.

Despite poorer health in some of these areas, levels of health are better in Pembrokeshire overall than across Wales, with lower than average long-term illness and disability. In common with the rest of Wales the main causes of death are heart disease and cancers, with men in Pembrokeshire suffering higher than average levels of these. The rural nature of the area leads to an undesirable distance for many people to travel to reach health care facilities, especially hospitals.

Levels of crime are low compared with much of the UK, but specific local issues exist that need to be tackled.