Rural poverty 'forgotten' by Government

from Telegraph.co.uk

By James Kirkup,

More than 2 million rural people living below the poverty line have been "forgotten" by the Government, a damning official report has concluded.

An investigation by Stuart Burgess, the Government's own Rural Advocate, found Government policies often focussed disproportionately on urban areas, effectively ignoring the serious concerns of people living in the countryside.

Effectively accusing ministers of a lack of leadership, Dr Burgess painted an alarming picture of rural communities under severe pressure from an ageing population, cuts in key services and the "severe difficulties faced by the farming community".

Dr Burgess found there are over 928,000 rural households living below the official government poverty threshold, which is set at an annual income of £16,492. The average English household has 2.36 members, meaning as many as 2.2 million people in rural areas are living in poverty.

"This is equivalent to a city the size of the Birmingham conurbation. Yet because these people are dispersed throughout rural England, they tend to form a forgotten city of disadvantage," Dr Burgess said.

"Because rural disadvantage is scattered it is hidden through the averaging of official statistics and a perception of the countryside as affluent and idyllic. I urge government to develop policies that better reflect the nature of rural disadvantage, targeting people in need, rather than places."

The shortage of affordable housing and well-paid jobs are remain the biggest problems for many in the countryside, Dr Burgess said. His report is based on numerous visits to parts of rural England to listen the concerns of residents, where he met "growing numbers of people not qualifying for social housing, but not earning enough to afford to buy a house either."

The report also warns the population of rural England is ageing rapidly, putting growing pressure on public services and even threatening the long-term future of some communities, the report finds.

One key demographic trend it identifies is the flight of young people from villages and farms, drawn to towns and cities by the need to study and find work. In the last two decades, the proportion of people living in the country aged 15-24 has fallen, down from 21per cent of the rural population to 15 per cent.

The effect of this exodus is to make the rural population an average of more than five years old than in urban areas. Dr Burgess warns falling numbers of children raise doubts about the future of some public services, such as schools and youth services.

And an increasing number of older people puts greater strain on medical and social care services. Dr Burgess' report coincided with a separate warning from the Rural Services Network, which consists of more than 80 of England's most rural local authorities and 150 other groups.

In a report given to ministers, the network also demanded more attention for rural issues, claiming people in the countryside often pay higher levels of council tax.

Graham Biggs, the network's chief executive, said: "It is unsustainable and iniquitous for people living in rural areas to pay more in council tax whilst receiving less by way of services."

Tim Bonner of the Countryside Alliance said reports were more evidence that ministers are ignoring the concerns of rural voters.

He said: "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."

Jim Paice, shadow minister for agriculture and rural affairs, said the two reports demonstrated Labour's "incompetence" when it comes to service delivery in rural areas and its failure to "rural proof" its policies.