The most rural diocese in the Church of England has reacted with disquiet to the latest report on rural poverty.The Commission for Communities published its ‘State of the Countryside 2008’ report last week, but the Diocese of Hereford said progress was limited.
Speaking on behalf of the Diocese, Nick Read, who is Chaplain for Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said: “A decade after the reports were first published, there is evidence of the lack of progress that has been made in tackling some of the issues faced by our rural communities. The decline in rural services, the acute need for affordable rural housing and the lack of accessible rural transport are all long term trends which make the countryside a difficult place to live for those on low incomes and with little or no private transport.”
Figures show poverty is increasing at a faster rate in the countryside – three per cent -- than elsewhere and that about a fifth of households now live below the poverty line.
There are also signs of growing inequalities within rural areas themselves.
In the poorest fifth of homes half the weekly income goes on food, housing, energy, transport and other essentials compared with 39 per cent in the highest income rural households and 47 per cent in the poorest urban households.
The report highlights communities’ worries over declining services and says that in each of the last ten years the Commission has found fewer outlets for many services and increasing problems of access to services for people without cars.
There has been a marked rise in internet use but the availability of high-speed broadband remains low in sparsely populated areas.
“We remain concerned at the declining infrastructure in our rural areas and the recent threats to Post Offices, schools and doctors’ surgeries are exacerbating this; and the huge rise in fuel prices have had a significant effect on rural families who have no choice but to rely on a car,” said Nick.
“The report demonstrates that poverty is growing in rural communities at a faster rate than in urban ones.”
Housing affordability continues to be worse in rural areas, the report says.
The cost of a house is 6.8 times the annual rural household income, compared to 5.8 times in urban areas and in some sparsely populated districts the price of a home can be almost ten times the annual income.
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