Rural Living in Decline?
Practical solutions are being put forward to help keep young people in the countryside.
The alert comes from Dr Stuart Burgess − the Government’s Rural Advocate – based on evidence he has gathered from communities in all parts of rural England about the fears, aspirations, challenges and needs of young rural England.
In a report being delivered directly to the Prime Minister, Dr Burgess says: “Wherever I go, I hear deep concerns − that challenges with housing, work, transport, training and social exclusion are preventing young people from living in the countryside. Without young people to provide a work force, rural economies are unable to fulfil their full potential and rural communities can go into a decline.
“On top of this, lack of broadband and mobile phone coverage in many rural areas is hitting young people and businesses alike – be it through recruitment and employment, better access to learning and support services or enjoying the connectivity that has become an everyday feature of urban youth culture, such as joining a social network or getting internet help with homework.”
Without young people to provide a work force, rural economies are unable to fulfill their full potential
As well as calling on policymakers to demonstrate a better understanding of the challenges facing rural young people, Dr Burges’s report puts forward practical solutions, including:
- flexible planning to create more affordable rural housing;
- new ways to meet employment and training needs in more isolated areas;
- greater efforts by schools and universities to raise young people‟s aspirations;
- a renewed focus on providing integrated public transport; and
- a push to improve mobile phone coverage and broadband services in rural areas.
Joanne Webster, a professor of parasitic diseases at the RVC, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).
