The Rural Agenda and Community Cohesion

1
The Rural Agenda and Community Cohesion

• Marion HortonCommunity Development Consultant
  Trainer

2

• Here is Edward Bear coming down-stairs now
  bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head behind
  Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows,
  the only way of coming down stairs, but sometimes
  he feels there really is another way, if only he
  could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.
  
• Winnie the Pooh

3
Rural population

• In England 14.1 million people (28.5 of the
  population) live in rural districts.
• Between 1981 and 2002 the rural population grew
  by 1.7 millions (a 13.7 increase). The rural
  South West accounted for nearly a quarter of this
  growth.
• The largest age group in rural areas is 35 39.
• Fewer people in their twenties, and more people
  over 45, live in rural areas (as opposed to urban
  areas).

4
Migration

• In the year to mid 2002, net migration into
  districts in rural England was estimated to be
  115,000 people.
• Over the last four years approximately 352,000
  more people have moved into Englands rural areas
  than have left them.
• Migration from urban to rural areas is now
  running at four times the migration from the
  north of the country to the south.
• In the year to mid 2002 48.5 of migrants into
  rural England were in the 25 44 age group.
• The 16 24 age group is the only one in which
  more people migrated to urban districts than to
  rural, in the year to mid 2002.

5

• Young people are moving out of rural areas.
• 13.4 housing in rural areas is social housing
  e.g. owned by the Local Authority or Housing
  Association (increasingly Housing Association
  owned).
• Compared with 22.4 in urban areas this figure
  is falling fast.
• The right to buy may be extended to Registered
  Social Landlords.
• The proportion of the rural population who have
  to spend more than 50 of their household income
  on mortgage payments per month increased from 33
  in 2002 to 37 in 2003.
• House prices increased drastically in 2003/4.
• Trend will continue as house prices increase.

6
Income Poverty

• Income poverty is defined as having an income
  below 60 of the national average.
• By this definition the proportion of households
  in poverty is marginally higher in rural areas.
• 22.5 in urban areas.
• 22.6 in rural areas.

7
Every European Economy is in crisis

• Small farms in countries like Poland, Hungary
  even in England are subsistence farming.
• Over 70 of the total UK land area is under
  agricultural uses. The total area of agricultural
  land fell by 1 between 1998 and 2002. The area
  under crops fell by 10 in the same period, and
  rough grazing land decreased by 5. Grassland
  increased by 3, urban and other land increased
  by 5 and the amount of set-aside land more than
  doubled between 1998 and 2003. Source - Defra
• Question has to be do we go along with the set
  aside agenda with
• Tourism
• Commuter villages
• Retired havens
• Opposition to wind turbines
• A mainly middle class agenda
• Or do we have a living working and perhaps
  industrialised countryside?

8
Former Industrial Villages - Coalfields Villages

• Professor Stephen Fothergill, Sheffield Hallam
  University has demonstrated that official
  unemployment statistics in the former rural
  coalfields areas are hiding a very large number
  of long-term sickness benefit claimants, who in a
  fuller labour market would expect to get jobs.
• He argues strongly for the Government to place
  Civil Service and other government employment in
  the former coalfields of the midlands and north
  of England.
• None of this seems to be on the rural agenda
• Is this looked upon as too political?

9
Migrant workers

• Agricultural and food processing are historically
  low wage industries.
• Working class labour is often no longer available
  in rural areas housing, migration etc.
• Migrant labour is filling the gap.
• Of the 90,000 or so workers from the new EU
  countries who registered after May 2004 to work
  in the UK over 45 were working in rural areas.
• One estimate suggests that there are currently
  20,000 workers currently employed by
  gang-masters in the 16 mile stretch between
  Spalding and Boston and an additional 20,000
  between Boston and Ely (Cambridgeshire)
• Source Mark Simmonds MP.

10

• Research suggests that gang-masters employ up
  to 50 of overseas migrant workers.
• In February 2004 Greek workers were brought to
  Cornwall to pick daffodils which went to
  Sainsburys, Tesco, Marks and Spencer, Homebase
  etc. they slept in tents and unheated sheds
  described by the local authority as totally
  unfit for human habitation they alleged that
  they were physically beaten and threatened by
  armed thugs and said they wanted to return to
  Greece. (Source The Independent February 13th
  2004)
• Much of this information is from a TUC/ ILO
  report by Bridget Anderson and Ben Rogaly Forced
  Labour and Migration to the UK completed
  recently but apparently suppressed until after
  the General Election.

11
Gypsies and Travellers

• Health care for the socially excluded needs a
  new approach. It is easy to perceive
  marginalised groups, including Travellers, as
  victims who cannot be helped. This sort of
  attitude can lead to further powerlessness and
  ultimately to the exclusion being considered as
  the fault of the victim. However social exclusion
  is a process not a situation. It occurs due to
  poor public policy.
• (Matthews 1998 p. 26)

12

• The issue of health and sites is inter-related.
• The financial and human cost of the way Gypsies
  and Travellers, particularly in rural areas are
  treated, is enormous.
• Gypsies and Travellers are stereotyped and
  demonised.
• Suffer extreme racism, institutional racism and
  oppression on a daily basis.
• Gypsies and Travellers experience extremely poor
  health.
• They contribute to the economy in many ways, in
  agriculture, horse breeding and more industrial
  occupations like scrap metal dealing and many
  road laying, house repairing, gardening jobs,
  mainly self employed.
• The main threat to the Travellers is less that
  of adjustment to providing goods and services
  within an advanced industrial economy, as has
  been so frequently suggested, but the states
  increasing controls over land occupation and
  usage. (Oakley J. 1983 p36)
• The governments own studies state that more than
  90 of applications from Gypsies are refused,
  compared to applications from settled people, of
  which more than 80 are granted consent.

13
Finance

• The issue of providing good health care and lack
  of site provision is inter-related.
• The cost to Local Authorities in England between
  1999 and 2001 of unauthorised encampments is
  estimated at 6m.
• The figures given take no account of transfer of
  costs to the NHS.
• An annual figure of approximately 6m is almost
  certainly a substantial under estimate and could
  be multiplied a number of times. More importantly
  however these costs take no account of the social
  or human costs associated with inadequate
  accommodation for Travelling people.
• (Morris R and Clements L.)

14
Case study of Gypsy family

• Blind eye site on council land.
• Family moved into area and established themselves
  police and council officials agreed to them
  staying and regularly call to keep an eye on
  them.
• Family established themselves in the local
  community.
• Contribute to the local economy and community
  life cohesion.
• Become respected married locally and
  established extended family.
• L.A. will not grant a rent book or legal status
  because the land is on a flood plain.
• Family frustrated and at times feel angry that he
  was not being allowed to become a citizen and
  take responsibility by having to pay rent. I
  want to remain as I am, not to move, but I want
  security and a rent book would give me that I
  feel I am being stopped all the time. (Horton
  M. 2005)