26.09.2022

Hinterland - 26 September 2022

Cost of living challenges, seasonal worker challenges, county lines challenges, fracking challenges, housing challenges – all seen off potentially this week in Rural England with a seasonal dip! Read on…

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Rapid expansion of visa scheme leaves seasonal workers at risk of exploitation

An interesting reflection on the rural workforce challenges arising since Brexit – this story tells us:

As farms began to panic about a likely shortage of labour caused by Brexit, the seasonal worker visa was presented as a panacea.

Just 2,500 people came to Britain in a pilot of the scheme in 2019. But when the predicted shortage came to pass the following year, it was expanded rapidly, before an assessment of the pilot could be concluded.

About 40,000 people will come to the UK under the seasonal worker scheme this year, and there are increasing concerns that the hastily constructed programme puts workers at risk of labour exploitation.

When the government review of the pilot was finally slipped out on Christmas Eve last year, it had some concerning polling from workers. It showed 29% of labourers said operators did not adhere to contractual agreements, almost half did not receive a contract in their native language, and 15% said their accommodation was not safe, comfortable, hygienic or warm.

During the Conservative leadership race, Liz Truss signalled her intention to expand the scheme, pledging: “We will make it easier for farmers and growers to access the workers they need, with a short-term expansion to the seasonal workers scheme, while working with industry to address longer-term skills shortages.”

A recent report from the Association of Labour Providers said the Home Office and Defra had not engaged with industry experts in establishing the rules, leaving workers vulnerable to exploitation.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/25/rapid-expansion-of-visa-scheme-leaves-seasonal-workers-at-risk-of-exploitation

Rural areas hit harder by cost-of-living crisis, study finds

Great to see this exposure for the latest RSN report which tells us:

The cost-of-living crisis is hitting people living in rural areas harder than those living in towns and cities, according to a new report.

The study, by the Rural Services Network, says those in the countryside are spending much more on essentials like heating, transport and housing.

Facing "significantly higher" costs, they earn "much less" than their urban counterparts, the report found.

Since the pandemic, house prices have also soared in comparison to towns.

The study found that rural house prices are almost 40% higher than in urban areas across England (excluding London), with rural villages and hamlets increasing to 55% higher.

Meanwhile, rural households on a low income now spend about half of their earnings on rent - almost 5% more than low-income households in urban areas.

'Families in fuel poverty'

Houses in the countryside also tend to cost a lot more to heat, as many are less well-insulated and are not connected to the gas grid.

The research shows that rural households need more than £500 to take them out of fuel poverty, which is twice as much as in urban areas.

The cost of getting around is also higher, as an estimated 3,000 rural bus routes have been "lost or reduced" in a decade, according to the Campaign for Better Transport.

Because of a greater reliance on cars, the data shows that rural households spend on average about £114 per week on transport, compared to £80 for urban households. This eats into a higher proportion of disposable income.

Despite these higher costs, rural employees with the lowest earnings face wages 12% lower than those working in urban areas.

Graham Biggs, chief executive of the Rural Services Network, which represents rural councils and other service providers, said: "Outdated infrastructure and a legacy of other factors, such as poor transport and broadband connectivity, employment opportunities and housing demand, means that many rural areas are more isolated than maps suggest and are all contributing to a higher overall cost of living.

"The government must overcome policy silos and develop an integrated approach that recognises the multiple forms of disadvantage rural areas face.

"This should include levelling up the rural economy to ensure that low wage levels can be improved, as well as supporting rural houses to become more energy efficient to help get families out of fuel poverty."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62983030

Services for county lines victims in England and Wales get funding boost

New resources to tackle a key aspect of the darkest side of crime as it affects rural England…..

Up to £5m has been allocated by the Home Office to support victims of county lines exploitation over the next three years.

Hundreds of victims will be helped to escape drug gangs following the expansion of support services in London, the West Midlands, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.

These are the largest exporting areas for county lines activity, which involves drug trafficking operations in which children or vulnerable adults are groomed to run drugs from one city to other parts of the country.

The money will go towards providing a rescue service and specialist one-to-one support for victims.

Up to £5m has been allocated by the Home Office to support victims of county lines exploitation over the next three years.

Hundreds of victims will be helped to escape drug gangs following the expansion of support services in London, the West Midlands, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.

The money will go towards providing a rescue service and specialist one-to-one support for victims.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/24/services-for-county-lines-victims-in-england-and-wales-get-funding-boost

Liz Truss’s claims fracking could produce gas in six months called into doubt as firm warns of 18-month wait

It been a while but it looks like our old friend the fracking agenda is making its way back into the rural narrative. This story tells us:

Liz Truss’s claims gas from fracking could flow in six months has been called into doubt – with one company estimating it could take as long as 18 months.

The government lifted the ban on fracking on Thursday, despite warnings from climate campaigners and geologists.

Ms Truss is hoping the move will help make the UK more self-sufficient for energy, but campaigners have warned it would do little to alleviate the huge bills Britons currently face.

And the fracking industry has said the planning and environmental permit process would need to be sped up and earthquake limits relaxed for their investment to make sense.

Firms need both environmental and planning permits to start fracking, as well as licences, Health and Safety Executive scrutiny and consent from the Business Department, according to the UK Onshore Oil and Gas (UKOOG) industry body.

https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/fracking-england-permits-energy-gas-b2174028.html

Stamp duty: What is it and how much do I pay?

Now will this liberate the rural housing market or will it just drive up demand for the same amount of housing stock? This report tells us:

During the pandemic, the government announced a stamp duty holiday to help home buyers whose finances were affected by Covid. It meant no stamp duty was payable on the first £250,000 of a property.

It was widely thought to have stimulated the housing market and estate agents reported a surge of interest.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), UK average house prices increased by 15.5% over the year to July 2022, up from 7.8% in June 2022.

However, many things may have contributed to rising house prices.

"The final closure of the stamp duty scheme at the end of September 2021 may have had no impact at all," says Nicky Stevenson, managing director at estate agents Fine and Country.

"Other factors are so much more important, namely the race for space, low supply, accidental savings [from the pandemic] and low interest rates."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53319433

And Finally