Norfolk’s Rural Challenge

Norfolk’s Rural Challenge

Norfolk RCC’s role

•Community Support•Rural Advocacy

– no-one is “seriously disadvantaged because of where they live.”

•Developing Solutions

A Rural Challenge?

• The issues people face are largely the same across the county

• However, rurality can both intensify the effects and make it harder to deliver solutions

• The focus of this presentation are on ‘systemic barriers’ in addressing rural challenges not on the specifics of rural issues

What’s the need?

Understanding the issuesOCSI Research Highlighting the rural share of deprivation

59%63%

59%58%58%

50%48%46%46%46%

42%41%40%40%

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Hidden Deprivation

• Idyllic landscape = Idyllic quality of life

• Statistically masked

Hidden Deprivation

• Deprivation data has a geographical area associated with it (ward, district, parish, county)

• Rural areas are sparsely populate by definition so rural deprivation is spread out

• Geographical areas with a set population can therefore cover many physical communities

• Small pockets of deprivation can be ‘lost’ in the average score for the area

Index of Multiple Deprivation

• Composite measure of deprivation– E.g. includes many factors: low income, poor

health, housing quality.

• Based on arbitrary areas– Super Output Areas (SOA)

• Roughly 1,500 population

Hidden Deprivation

1 excellent

5 Ok

10 big problem

A = 2 B = 10

C = 3

Our area (e.g. SOA)

Average = 5 so everything must be O.K.?

OCSI research

• IMD calculated at SOA and therefore often misses out rural as many communities fall within each SOA

• Can happen between communities and within communities

• NRCC commissioned research– Remodel index of multiple deprivation to

output areas level (300 people)

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Targeting

• The majority of funding has gone into urban hotspots

• The majority of those in need are outside urban hotspots.

• The way you set targets influences where you deliver

Moving Forward

• Norfolk has received some praise for its work to identify deprivation in rural areas but has been criticised for not implementing this into delivery.

• Do partners use measures of need that are effective in rural areas?

• Do targets focus unnecessarily on hotspots?• Need to be able to separately identify the rural

share of need and monitor the effects of delivery

Value for Money

• Most providers use some form of value for money analysis

• Most are based on a simple cost per output/person

• Rural delivery is more expensive and often delivers fewer outputs per unit

• Output cost is therefore seen as poor value in rural areas

Value for Money

• Most delivery has been urban centric particularly when budgets are tight

• This often shifts the costs onto the client as a result of travel

• Given the vulnerable nature of many clients this is not desirable

• This assumes transport is feasible!

Moving Forward

• Value for money that includes a ‘sparcity factor’

• Identifies the total cost of service delivery and who pays

• Focuses on outcomes not outputs as models may be different

Delivery Issues

• Rural areas are different than urban

• There are also differences between rural areas

• Using urban models of delivery in a rural context is unlikely to be effective

Delivery Issues

• Community Engagement

• Rural communities often have quite strong existing civic structures and a history of self-help

• Can mitigate some of the effects of rurality

• Must still ensure engagement is inclusive

Delivery Issues

• Infrastructure• In many ways rural areas have an

infrastructure deficit • However, significant infrastructure does

exist – Community buildings, newsletters, churches,

social networks

• Need to makes sure delivery can use this infrastructure

Delivery Issues

• Transport and Access• Most often cited rural issue• No car ownership• Car dependency • Mustn’t become fixated on transport • Services to the people or people to the

service• Must access plan effectively

Delivery Issues

• Stigmatisation

• Lack of anonymity or privacy can impact on peoples accessing of services

Moving Forward

• Use models that are appropriate

• Delivery can’t be an add on

• Roll out best practice

• Access plan

• Work in partnership

Rural Proofing

• What exactly is it?

• Oh no not another #*%* form to fill in

• Process of ensuring strategy, policy and delivery does not disadvantage rural

• Good strategy, policy and delivery design

• Not a paper exercise

• Doesn’t stop; monitor and evaluate

Moving forward

• 9th March County Strategic Partnership

• Seeking commitment from all partners to addressing the rural challenge

• Understanding of partners delivery to rural areas

• Gathering of the solutions, models and best practice

Rural Challenge

• Genuine Equality issue• 59% population, 49% of deprivation• Nothing actually remarkable about that statistic • Needs to be more focused on addressing this

need• This is a genuine challenge• Not going to get it all right immediately • Need to work together to address it.

Questions and Discussion

Rural Barometer

Norfolk’s Rural Challenge

What for?

• Write up into a report

• Use it to help prioritise and target

• Use it to monitor progress

• Going to consult wider