'State of the Countryside' paints challenging picture for rural West Midlands

Rising house prices, a lack of access to essential services and a 3% rise in the number of living below the poverty line are some of the stark findings of a new report on rural life published today.

State of the Countryside 2008, which is the tenth in a series compiled by the Commission for Rural Communities, outlines a number of important challenges facing rural communities in the West Midlands and calls on the Government to do more to resolve inequalities.

The report also highlights some positive changes over the last twelve months including increases in selfemployment, the growth in knowledge-based industry and improved access to broadband across the area.

Dr Stuart Burgess, the Chairman for the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC), explained:

State of the countryside provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the changes taking place in rural England, look forward to what the future might hold, and to reflect on what aspects have remained important since the report was first published in 1999.

Whilst rural England has some major strengths and much to celebrate, significant ongoing challenges remain if rural communities are not going to be disadvantaged.

The West Midlands faces some unique challenges, with South Shropshire suffering from the lowest average weekly wage of any rural or urban district just £251.20. Migration of people from big cities like Coventry and Birmingham to more rural areas such as Warwick and Bromsgrove are also in the top 5 highest in the UK.

He went on to add: Meeting affordable housing needs in rural areas also remains a dominant challenge with demand being heightened by the number of people seeking to relocate to the countryside.

The average house price in the area was £245,894 compared with £212,823 in built up areas and prices have soared to 8 times the annual salary. This has to be addressed and addressed quickly.

One of the most striking findings involves the rise in the number of people living in poverty in the County.

Research shows that this is increasing faster in rural households (up 3%) than urban ones and now accounts for 1 in 5 families. Furthermore, there is a widening gap between sparsely populated communities, with 50% of weekly income going on essentials (food, housing, energy and transport), compared with 39% in the highest income rural households and 47% in its urban counterparts.

Its not all doom and gloom. Rural areas generally enjoy healthier lifestyles and a better quality of life, not to mention lower incidences of crime.

Other inherent strengths include a higher rate of business start-ups and an overall growth in the number of businesses compared to a net decline in the urban business base. Between 1998 and 2007, the West Midlands has seen an increase of 59,245 people working in knowledge-based industries.

The value of agricultural land rose sharply during 2007, mainly due to increases in the prices of agricultural commodities and to high demand for land for lifestyle rural properties. There are also signs of a renewed sense of optimism amongst farmers, but these trends could increase pressures on environmental quality once more, concluded Dr Burgess.

State of the countryside provided a glimpse of life in the future, with the possibility of diverting land from food to energy production at the top of the agenda.

Rising food and fuel prices will challenge policy makers to make sure that the changes that will be needed provide benefits to all communities, including those in rural areas.