Lack of homes and jobs 'driving young people out of rural areas'

Young people are being driven out of the countryside by a lack of jobs and affordable housing, a government-commissioned report warned today.

Planning rules must be loosened, and public transport links and broadband access improved, if rural communities are to survive, according to the study.

A team led by the Government's Rural Advocate Stuart Burgess gathered evidence from across England to assemble the report - which will be handed directly to Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Dr Burgess said: "Wherever I go, I hear deep concerns - that challenges with housing, work, transport, training and social exclusion are preventing young people from living in the countryside.

"Without young people to provide a work force, rural economies are unable to fulfil their full potential and rural communities can go into a decline.

"On top of this, lack of broadband and mobile phone coverage in many rural areas is hitting young people and businesses alike - be it through recruitment and employment, better access to learning and support services or enjoying the connectivity that has become an everyday feature of urban youth culture, such as joining a social network or getting internet help with homework."

The report highlights that social housing only accounts for 13% of stock in rural areas, compared to 22% in big towns and cities.

Demand for new housing in the countryside is expected to grow by 35% between 2006 and 2031, compared to 27% in urban locations.

Despite high levels of youth unemployment in rural areas, there are also far fewer job centres.

And while 60% of urban areas have access to high-speed cable-based broadband, the figure for villages and hamlets is just 1.5%.

The study calls for local authorities to be "more creative and flexible" over planning issues and says more employment guidance and apprenticeships should be on offer.

It also insists the Government should give countryside communities priority in plans for upgrading the broadband system, while the mobile phone network must be improved.

Dr Burgess said: "My clear message is that challenges for rural young people need addressing positively and urgently and that failure to act will put the future viability of our rural communities at risk.

"It is essential to break the cycle of low aspirations and, instead, inspire young people to fulfil their potential and play an active role in our society."

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The Prime Minister has received the report from Dr Stuart Burgess and the Government will look carefully at the points raised.

"Rural communities play an important part in British life. We will continue to work with the Commission for Rural Communities to ensure we do all we can to understand and address the needs of those living in rural areas, especially those of the younger generation, who are so crucial to building Britain's future."

David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said: "This report once again highlights the desperate shortage of affordable homes being built in rural communities.

"With over 700,000 people on housing waiting lists in the English countryside, the chances of being allocated an affordable home are bleak.

"Thousands of young people are being driven out of the villages where they grew up by high house prices which has led to a sharp decline in the number of families living in many rural areas.

"Local authorities need to routinely assess the need for affordable housing in their communities and then draw up action plans of how they intend to meet that demand if we are to halt the decline of rural England."