strength
Small completed works can support everyday trips
Parc Eirias has a delivered bike-shelter improvement.
Proposed response: Maintain it and check whether it makes local trips easier.
What could help →Conwy, in numbers
Issues and SWOT
Conwy council area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths to build on. Pressures to address. Choices to make.
These assessments connect evidence with proposed responses. They are not ratings of council performance.
Strengths
strength
Make room for homes people can afford
Average private rent is £796 a month (August 2026) in Conwy council area. This is £50 lower than the Wales average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 10.7% in Tudno to 33% in Glyn — a gap of 22.3 percentage points.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
What could help →strength
Bring support closer to people in poor health
6.6% of people reported bad or very bad health in Conwy council area (21 March 2021). Across Wales, the figure was 6.9%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.7% in Uwch Conwy to 11% in Towyn — a gap of 7.4 percentage points.
This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.
What could help →strength
Connect local skills to local opportunities
32.4% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Conwy council area. Across Wales, the figure was 31.5%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.5% in Llansanffraid to 30.2% in Towyn — a gap of 17.7 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
What could help →Weaknesses
weakness
Published completion evidence needs catching up
The retained coastal review gives construction stages and a future Kinmel Bay target.
Proposed response: Publish confirmed handovers and remaining works.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Join protection work with usable public access
Kinmel Bay construction was paused to restore summer beach access.
Proposed response: Plan access around works with residents and local businesses.
What could help →opportunity
Plan homes and care around an older population
27.3% of people in Conwy council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.7% in Llysfaen to 38.7% in Deganwy — a gap of 24.1 percentage points.
Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.
What could help →opportunity
Target safety work where problems repeat
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Conwy council area.
Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.
What could help →opportunity
Turn published plans into visible progress
3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
What could help →opportunity
Target support where disadvantages overlap
Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 11.5% in Penrhyn to 30.2% in Towyn — a gap of 18.8 percentage points.
These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.
What could help →Threats
threat
Defences need inspection after construction
Both schemes address coastal flooding, but the review does not establish that all risk has gone.
Proposed response: Combine capital works with maintenance and current warning information.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Small completed works can support everyday tripsParc Eirias green bike shelter: Delivered in the reviewed period | Conwy County Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Published completion evidence needs catching upKinmel Bay coastal defences: Construction in the April–September 2025 review; completion unverified; Llandudno flood-defence improvements: Construction stage in the April–September 2025 review | Conwy County Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Join protection work with usable public accessKinmel Bay coastal defences: Construction in the April–September 2025 review; completion unverified | Conwy County Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Defences need inspection after constructionKinmel Bay coastal defences: Construction in the April–September 2025 review; completion unverified; Llandudno flood-defence improvements: Construction stage in the April–September 2025 review | Conwy County Borough Council with the named delivery partners | |
| Make room for homes people can affordAverage private rent is £796 a month (August 2026) in Conwy council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 10.7% in Tudno to 33% in Glyn — a gap of 22.3 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 30 of 30 current wards have comparable figures. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Plan homes and care around an older population27.3% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 14.7% in Llysfaen to 38.7% in Deganwy — a gap of 24.1 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 30 of 30 current wards have comparable figures. | Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Bring support closer to people in poor health6.6% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.7% in Uwch Conwy to 11% in Towyn — a gap of 7.4 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 30 of 30 current wards have comparable figures. | Local health services, public health teams, employers and community organisations | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Connect local skills to local opportunities32.4% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 12.5% in Llansanffraid to 30.2% in Towyn — a gap of 17.7 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 30 of 30 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Target safety work where problems repeatUse the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate. | The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services | |
| Target support where disadvantages overlapHouseholds facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 11.5% in Penrhyn to 30.2% in Towyn — a gap of 18.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 30 of 30 wards. | The council's housing, public health and employment teams, with local services | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |