Local Challenges

education, employment, transport, and health. The demographicsof the MEA’s population is discussed in the following section.

The MEA Community Plan (2017) identifies severalchallengesinthe borough under the following themes: Jobs & Employment; Tourism; An Ageing Population; Rural Communities; Deprivation & Poverty. This section provides an analysis of thesechallengesand includes additional challenges thatimpinge onlocal progress towardthe SDGs. Thissection provides local context on which recommendationsfor Councilarebased upon.

Jobs and Employment The Borough employs 7.4% of the total NI workforce, with advanced engineering and manufacturing (57%) and construction (15%) representing the main employment sectors (NISRA, 2018b). Local indigenous businesses, such as Wrightbus, and international organisations, including Ryobi, Schrader, Moy Park, Caterpillar Logistics and Terumo BCT, are sizeable employers in the Borough. Other key employers in the area include AES Corporation at Ballylumford, P&O Ferries and Larne Harbour Ltd. Additionally, there is a wide range of small and medium sized enterprises across the regionand a strong agri-foodsector (MEABC, 2017). The Councilhas focused on building on theexisting sectoral strengths in advanced manufacturing and agri-foodin the Borough.

Tourism is an important aspect of the local economy, with attractions such as coastal paths, spa hotels and castles contributing to a total visitor spend of approximately £50.7 million in 2018 (Tourism NI, 2018) and providing 4,395 tourism jobs(MEABC, 2019b). MEA’s locationon the Causeway Coastal Route and wealth of heritage assets, such asCarrickfergus Castle and Marina, the Garron Plateau, and the Gobbins, provides the foundations for a vibrant tourism industry (MEABC, 2019b). Expandingthis sector furtheris a key priority ofthe Community Plan and the Council areworkingto ensure theirsignificant rural tourism assets are developedand well marketed to local, national and international visitors(MEABC, 2017b).

While the developmentand expansion of these sectorswork directly towards achieving SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth locally,the Council must give equal consideration to the adverseenvironmental impacts these sectors may bring.

An Ageing Population In 2019, approximately 26,526 peoplein MEA wereaged 65 and over - 19% of the total population (NISRA, 2019b). It is projected that this figure willincrease to 24.6% by 2030; the second highest level in NI. Demographic ageing of this degree can causeimplicationsfor the provision of public services andincrease thedemand for residential and home care services, and associated support services.To ensure thatprogress toward SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing

is not haltered,MEABCneed to ensure that services and communities in the Borough can respond to these rising demands.

Deprivation and Poverty The Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure (NIMDM) is a spatial measure of local level inequalities based on multiple indicators. Indicators include, income, employment, health and disability, education, skills and training, access to services, living environment and crime and disorder. Based onthe NIMDM2010, where 1 is the most deprived and 26 is the least deprived, Ballymena was ranked in 11th place, Larne was in 13th place and Carrickfergus was in 14th place. MEAis ranked 6th out of the eleven new councils in terms of deprivation, largely due to lack of access to serviceswhich is predominantin rural communities including Glenarm, Islandmagee, Carnlough, Glenravel, Grange, Glenwherry, Dunminning and Slemish (NISRA, 2010). Based on the NIMDM2017, three Super Output Areas(SOAs)inthe Borough are ranked within the 100 most deprived in NI: Northland in Carrickfergus and Ballee and Moat in Ballymena.

Approximately 40% of MEA’s population live in smallsettlementsand the open countryside; some of these rural communities are particularly isolated in regard to access to services such as welfare, education, employment, transport and health services. While MEABC is composed of three large and prosperoustowns, many inequalities continue to exist in the Borough’s rural areas; primarily affecting health, education, and crime(MEABC, 2017a). The Community Plan (2017b) highlights theCouncil’s commitmentto identifying and addressingthe underlying causesof poverty and deprivation in the Borough. Addressing inequalities is presented as “a cross cutting theme” within the planwhich is laid out in their plan to focusattentions onparts of theborough which are most deprived (MEABC, 2017). This issue is directly linked to SDG 1: No Poverty and SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing, andSDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

Climate Change It is difficult to predicthow climate change will precisely affect MEA,although,one of the most concerningand most probableimpacts is the heightened risk of flooding. Coastal water, rivers, surface water and groundwater flooding all pose a threat toresidents and buildingsin low-lying and at-risk areasof MEA. Climate change may threaten local progress toward SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing and SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Some of theflooding challenges andpossible threats of climate change inthe Borough are underlined below; each hold the capability to cause negative social, economic, and environmental impacts on varying scales. It is important to note that the list of challenges and potential impacts below is not exhaustive but is focused on the most probable to negatively affect the Borough.

• Climate change will likely increase heavy rainfall(Rubinato et al., 2019) and contribute to widespread flooding and infrastructure damagein the Borough. The expansion ofurban

developmentin the main towns of the Borough may lead to increased rainfall runoff and create significant flood risk with evenmoderate rainfallin at risk areas (Rubinato et al., 2019).This situationis only expected to worsenas a changing climate triggers more extreme rainfall events, such as the succession of extreme weather eventsacross NI in 2018: Storm Eleanorcaused 25,000 premises to lose power across NI; the ‘Beast from the East’ in 2018 brought very low temperatures and snow; and Storm Emma in 2018 brought increased levels ofsnow and ice.

Agricultural land comprises over 75% of the total land coverin NI, consequently, land management practices have had adirect impact on flooding incidents. Soil degradation can exacerbate flood risk and certain land management practices, such as over-stocking of livestock, have been shown to have adverse impacts on downstream flood risk (ASC, 2016a). Understanding land management practices is essential to prevent adverse flood risksin the Borough.

• As MEA comprised ofaround 370 km² of coastline, rising sea-levels and coastal erosion pose another dangerto the Borough. The sustainabilityof coastal communities, such as Glenarm,

Cushendall and Cushendun, are particularly vulnerable. Whilst the current impact of sealevel rise to these communities is uncertain, engagement with these communities and raising awarenessabout thepotential risksis crucial(ASC, 2017).

• Changes in temperature represents a risk to social and economicsustainability. The

Northern Ireland CCRA detectshigh temperaturestonegatively affect human health and there is evidence of the connection between extreme temperatures and acute mortality (ASC, 2016a).