The below article was written by Graham Biggs (Rural Services Network Chief Executive) in relation to the House of Lords Select Committee Report on the Rural Economy.

This article was published in the Municipal Journal.

Life in our green and pleasant land is under threat unless the Government acts now

Written by Graham Biggs (RSN Chief Executive)

Cuts and closures have plagued England’s countryside for decades. It has been 19 years since the Government last produced a Rural White Paper and it’s clearer than ever that our rural areas are falling behind. 17 per cent (9.4 million) of the population live in rural areas – that’s more than in Greater London – and yet when it comes to Government policymaking, their needs are frequently overlooked.

Evidence in the Lords Rural Economy Committee report published on Saturday highlights the devastating impact of this for rural areas, with communities facing distinct challenges in the delivery of services and missing out on important benefits. Change is needed and that’s why the Committee’s report rightly calls on the Government to take action to unlock rural England’s full potential, and why the Rural Services Network has been campaigning for a new, comprehensive – cross government departmental-  Rural Strategy which raises rural opportunities and challenges up the political agenda as a matter of urgency.

Years of inadequate rural policies have been exacerbated by public sector austerity. The significant outflow of people from rural areas to urban-based jobs continues to be a source of concern. It’s no wonder that people are abandoning their homes and communities when the median average earnings for rural employment are £21,400, 10 per cent less than in England as a whole (£23,700). Despite this, house prices are, on average, £44,000 higher. Those residents who do choose to remain are then blighted by poor connectivity. Rural England research found that a basic phone call cannot be made inside 33 per cent of rural buildings on all four mobile networks (EE, Three, O2 and Vodafone), an issue that affects just three per cent of urban premises. Worse still, a 4G connection cannot be accessed in more than half (58 per cent) of rural premises, compared with just a sixth of those in cities. Central Government has systematically underfunded rural areas giving them less grant per head than urban areas despite the fact that it costs more to provide the services. In 2018/19, urban authorities will receive 49.43 per cent (£123) per head in Settlement Funding Assessment grant more than their rural counterparts.

If rural communities are to be sustainable for the future, the time for action is now. In 2020, sources of funding which support rural businesses and community development from EU initiatives will end. These are set to be replaced by the new Shared Prosperity Fund. The Lords Rural Economy Committee report highlights that the lack of detail provided about the fund ‘has severely hampered the ability of rural businesses and communities to plan for the long term’. 84 per cent of employees in rural areas work for SMEs – they are crying out for reassurance and job security.

It’s time for a new approach, to ensure policies work for towns and villages with robust ‘rural-proofing’. Rural communities have different needs in terms of service delivery and in housing, transport, healthcare and education, so a one-size-fits-all policy approach is doomed to fail. The Lords Committee report proposes adopting a place-based approach to policy-making. This is a call we agree with. Treating place as the starting point for future policy would guarantee that rural considerations are integral to new ideas with local needs at their heart.

England’s rural areas are one of the richest assets our country has to offer. But the viability of life in our green and pleasant land is under threat unless the Government acts now. We urge the Government to act quickly so that action can be factored into the ongoing Comprehensive Spending Review. People living in our towns and villages simply cannot afford to wait any longer for politicians to take their concerns seriously.

We call on Government to produce a Rural Strategy to set out their priorities for Englands Rural Communities and the Rural Economy for the future and we ask you to support this call.