Families head list of home-hunters in West
Couples with children have overtaken pensioners as those most likely to want to escape to a better life in the country.
But a new report published today warns that the traditional perception of finding a better life in rural areas has been rocked by soaring food and fuel prices.
Pockets of deprivation are also disguised by the widely held view of the countryside as a “dormitory or a leisure facility” for city dwellers, the Commission for Rural Communities warns.
In the tenth edition of the annual State of the Countryside report, Gordon Brown's rural adviser Stuart Burgess warns of worsening rates of rural poverty driven by house prices which are out of the reach of most people in the region and the soaring cost of living.
Mr Burgess says people are drawn to the South West by the prospect of better lifestyles, health, school results and the potential to work from home. More people per head of population move to the South West coast than anywhere else in the country, the report says.
Mr Burgess said: “While there are many advantages to living and working in rural England, there remain some significant challenges. The quality of life may often be better but this is not the case everywhere and for everyone.”
Young people continue their exodus of rural areas.
Mr Burgess said: “The people who are moving out are between 16 and 25. Obviously they go for higher education or to experience urban life but it is important that rural areas remain attractive for them to be able to return. That includes having more affordable housing.”
While there are fewer people aged 20 to about 35 there are correspondingly more people aged over 60. The median age for rural residents is nearly six years older than in urban areas.
A shortage of affordable housing has dominated the agenda in Devon and Cornwall for several years, with much focus on the levels of second home ownership driving up house prices and killing off opportunities for local people to get on the property ladder. “While some people are homeless in rural areas, some have more than one home,” the report says.
The purchase of second homes and cash buyers of properties is particularly high in Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. Similar properties can be up to £45,000 more in some rural areas than in cities. However, when many people move to live a country life they find declining levels of access to services, including healthcare, post offices, advice shops and banks. Those without their own cars are particularly hard hit, the report says.
“Poverty is increasing faster in rural households than urban households by 3 per cent compared with 1 per cent,” Mr Burgess said.
The report also accuses the Government of giving rural problems “a lack of priority and focus” compared to efforts to tackle the poorest living in urban areas.
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