Poverty ‘blights 1m rural homes’
Almost one million households in rural England live in poverty, a study says.
The report, by the government’s rural advocate, Stuart Burgess, says many people living and working in the countryside have prosperous lifestyles.
But the picture is “not so rosy” for more than 928,000 households with incomes below the official poverty line of £16,492, he adds.
It comes as the Rural Services Network warns little has been done to tackle longstanding rural problems.
Dr Burgess, who heads the Commission for Rural Communities, said: “Many people who live and work in rural England can enjoy a relatively healthy and prosperous lifestyle.
“However, the picture is not so rosy for all.
“A significant number of rural people are unable to share in this high quality of life, with over 928,000 rural households with incomes below the official poverty threshold.”
Affordable homes
Dr Burgess said the priorities were providing more affordable housing, strengthening the economy of rural areas and supporting voluntary and community work.
One of Dr Burgess’s recommendations is to promote community land trusts, which ensure properties are affordable for rural workers and do not become second homes.
He told BBC News: “No government, whichever colour of the day, is going to interfere dramatically into the market economy. But what we can do is mitigate the problem.”
The Rural Services Network, which is made up of service providers such as local councils, says rural problems such as lack of affordable housing and access to public transport have been highlighted for years but little has been done to solve them.
Many rural communities are therefore unable to deliver a safe, prosperous and healthy quality of life, it says.
Planning problems
The Rural Services Network says although there has been much talk in recent years of “rural proofing” services - a commitment by the government to ensure policies take account of rural needs - all too often rural policies are tacked on as an afterthought.
The report pointed to the example of the planning system, which it said often discriminated against rural communities trying to build low-cost housing.
It said local planners were restricted by centrally-imposed principles, such as the amount of development that must be built on brownfield land or the need for access to public transport.
Many of the problems highlighted in the report are not new, but the network’s concern is that not enough is being done about them.
One rural worker, Cumbrian slate miner Ben Bland, told the BBC that people from outside rural communities buying up properties was a problem.
He said: “Most of the cottages and houses were built by the miners that worked here in the past and built for them to live in.
“It’s just a pity they are being sold on to outside buyers now and they’re only lived in for six months of the year.”
Tim Bonner, of campaign group the Countryside Alliance, said the government was not listening to the views of people living in the countryside.
“We’re seeing school closures in some rural areas at the moment, and petrol prices and diesel prices can have a really serious impact on people living in marginal rural areas where they have to travel long distances just to get basic services,” he said.
“And, of course, the post office closures which are going on as we speak all over the countryside are having a huge impact on people and often their ability to access crucial services.”
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