IN HIS 2007 report, released on Monday, the Rural Advocate imagines that all those living below the poverty line (£16,492 per household per annum) in the countryside were lumped together in a conurbation the size of Birmingham. “They would merit concentrated action, with special schemes and initiatives targeted to improve their opportunities and wellbeing, and bring their standard of living up to that expected in an advanced and prosperous country.” The picture he paints of the countryside is of the same range of wealth, from country estate to housing estate, as is familiar in the city, but separated by fields rather than arterial roads. The prettiness of the scenery — though by no means all of it is pretty — masks the level of deprivation felt across the landscape.
A similar point was made last week by the Bishop of Hereford when he criticised a new report from the Campaign to Protect Rural England. The Campaign has drawn up a vision of what England ought to be like in 2026 if the peace and tranquillity of the countryside is to be preserved or, in some instances, restored. The vision concentrates on environmental sustainability, but does not, says the Bishop, take account of the sustainability of the rural population.
Many visions have been put constructed about the future of the countryside, and some of them are being realised. The Rural Advocate’s task is to listen to the views of those living and working in country communities, and he writes of the “outstanding drive and commitment” of many individuals and groups, especially in volunteer work. The problem, once again, is one of geography: these initiatives, together with enterprising business start-ups, cannot connect up with all the pockets of poverty. Furthermore, there are simply not enough of them.
The fear is that there is a tipping-point for the sustainability of the countryside. Opinions differ over when it might be reached, or whether it has already been passed — there is, of course, no such thing as “the countryside”, and each region, district, and community faces a different set of challenges. But if confidence in the Government’s commitment to the basic structures in the countryside — the school, the post office, healthcare, and transport — drains away, so, too, will investment and, in the end, people. Already there are 400,000 fewer young people aged 15-24 in rural areas than there were 20 years ago.
The urgency is that the Government needs to work through the existing infrastructure before it disappears. The Church of England is a case in point. It is already stretched, sometimes too thinly to be viable. Yet, where it persists, there can be found no greater pool of commitment, energy, and knowledge. There are already plenty of examples to show that even modest amounts of government investment can be enough to reinvigorate small towns and villages. But action must be taken soon. |
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