Young people quitting rural England

The Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) published the 2007 State of the Countryside on Tuesday (July 17).

The report, which gives a definitive picture of rural England, shows there are now nearly 400,000 fewer young people aged 15-29 in rural areas than twenty years ago.

This trend is set against a rising rural population overall and has contributed significantly to a rural demographic which is both older and ageing faster than urban areas.

Launching the report, CRC chairman Stuart Burgess, who is also the Government’s Rural Advocate, said: “The loss of young people is a real threat to the future diversity and sustainability of rural communities. Much more needs to be done to retain young people and provide them with opportunities and incentives to return to their roots if they choose.

“At the other end of the age spectrum, the number of older people in rural areas is increasing markedly with the net result that the average age is nearly six years higher than in urban areas.

“This is pointing towards a demographic divide between rural and urban areas and is putting a severe strain on the viability of rural services, such as schools, the provision of youth services, healthcare and housing.”

The report also shows:

• that rural areas experienced over 200% growth in the number of migrant workers in the last three years;

• the average rural household spent nearly £480 per week in 2005, £60 per week higher than was paid by the average urban household;

• that just 44% of households in sparse isolated rural areas are within easy reach of a GP;

• a near doubling of energy crops in the last year; and

• that due to the changing climate there are now nearly 400 vineyards in England and Wales.

Dr Burgess said the report illustrated the increasing pace of change in terms of use of the land in the countryside, such as a 3.6-fold increase in wind power capacity over the last three years and the change of land use from food to non-food production.

In 2007, over 4 million hectares of farmland was under some sort of agri-environment scheme and between 2005 and 2006 the area devoted to oil seed rape as an energy crop nearly doubled.

In addition 38 per cent of people now buying farmland in Great Britain are not farmers.

“One issue that has not changed however is the lack of affordable housing. This continues to be one of the most serious, if not the most serious, problem facing rural England today,” he said.

Overall, he said the report continued to show that many rural areas still lag behind urban England.

Over 928,000 rural households have incomes of less than £16,500 and nearly 233,000 people living in areas without a Post Office, building society or cashpoint within 4km (2.5 miles).