Staffordshire has its say on new report to Prime Minister on realities of rural England

Staffordshire has played a major role in a new report launched today to the Prime Minister, detailing the realities of life in rural England.

Dr Stuart Burgess, the government’s Rural Advocate, spent three days in the County as a guest of MP David Kidney and used the visit to help influence his findings on the aspirations, experiences and concerns of people living in rural areas.

The issue of affordable housing was high on the agenda, not to mention topics around land use, the post office network and getting new initiatives to work with communities at their own speed.

He also heard how the internet is bringing previously unseen opportunities to the economy and how exciting new ventures, such as Bio-fuels, should be receiving more support in terms of tax breaks so that we don’t end up importing products we could produce ourselves.

Dr Burgess commented: “My time in Staffordshire was invaluable and re-affirmed a number of issues that feature prominently in my findings, including the themes of affordable housing, support to farmers and the need for sound education from grassroots level all the way to the top.

“I was also very impressed with the enthusiasm and creativity shown by senior staff and governors at Rodbaston College, particularly their range of initiatives, such as the Foundation Degree in rural and community policing, their national fencing academy and their work in linking 320 farmers together through Staffordshire Food.”

He went on to add: “It was suggested that they could be a conduit for grassroots rural thinking into the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) and this something that we will undoubtedly explore.”

Dr Burgess’ tour took him throughout England and clearly identified issues around the availability of housing, sustainable living and a strong educational offer, not to mention the challenge of supporting traditional industries, whilst maximising new opportunities.

“Rural life can offer great advantages and I have seen many examples of real community spirit and creative solutions to problems.

“But I have also witnessed people in real hardship and struggling to get by,” explained Stuart.

“There are over 928,000 rural households living below the official government poverty threshold of £16,492 household income per annum.

“However, because rural disadvantage is scattered it is hidden through the averaging of official statistics and a perception of the countryside as affluent and idyllic.”

He continued: “I urge government to develop policies that better reflect the nature of rural disadvantage, targeting people in need, rather than places.”

The lack of affordable homes to rent and buy continues to be the single biggest issue highlighted to Dr Burgess on his visits.

He regularly heard about growing numbers of people not qualifying for social housing, but not earning enough to afford to buy a house either.

“I have also witnessed the willingness of communities to come together to tackle the problem and explore the potential of initiatives, such as community land trusts to meet local housing needs.

“Affordable homes underpin the future sustainability of rural communities, and whilst I welcome the attention to tackling the problem in the Housing Green Paper, rural housing targets need to be reflected in regional strategies.” 

The report underlines how the countryside is also facing significant demographic change, causing rural communities genuine concern about their future viability. 

There are now nearly 400,000 fewer young people aged 15-29 in rural areas than there were 20 years ago, and at the other end of the spectrum the average age of rural people is getting three months older every year. 

Farming and the difficulties faced by this sector figure prominently in the report and the Rural Advocate has drawn attention to problems faced in the wake of unprecedented levels of flooding and incidents of animal disease last year.

“I remain hugely impressed by the energy, industry and determination of the farmers I have met.

“I believe the future for our hill farming communities merits particular attention and therefore call for the government to consider establishing a commission on the future of this area and how it can be managed.

“There should also be a debate towards a new vision for use of the land as a precious and limited commodity and the role of farming within this.”
   
Going forward, Dr. Burgess sets out a wide-ranging package of actions where leadership from government is required to tackle the issues people raised with him to ensure that rural areas continue to thrive.

His recommendations range from calling for a standing recovery fund to help businesses maintain and restore activity after future environmental and disease events, to encouraging rural communities to contribute to tackling climate change and enhanced powers for parish councils.