What are rural areas? What What are rural areas? What do we mean by rural do we mean by rural development? development? Michael Winter Centre for Rural Research University of Exeter
Dec 13, 2015
What are rural areas? What do we What are rural areas? What do we mean by rural development?mean by rural development?
Michael Winter
Centre for Rural Research
University of Exeter
The UK landscapeThe UK landscape
Crops and bare fallow
Grasses and rough grazing
Woodland
Other agricultural
Urban
Approximately three quarters of UK land is dedicated to agriculture.
SW Region Population ‘000s
Cumulative change from 2002 ‘000s
1996 4841.5
2002 5001.8
2005 5074.2 97.6
2010 5189.6 213.0
2020 5428.7 452.1
Characteristics of rural Characteristics of rural economieseconomies
• Firms located in rural districts represent nearly a third of all registered businesses in England, with 8% more per head of population than urban areas.
• Microbusinesses, employing under ten people, are predominant in the countryside.
• Business start-ups and turnover are slightly higher in rural areas than urban.
• Rural areas have a higher proportion of self-employed (9% of people of working age) compared to 6.5% in urban areas.
• Rural wages are 88% of urban wages and rising more slowly (5.2% compared with 7.3%).
• Declining levels of certain services, e.g. village shops and post offices.
• Since 1997, declining agricultural incomes.
• Lowe 1999: residents in remote rural areas found between 80-90% of jobs in rural areas, those in accessible rural areas only 40-60%.
• The 3 remote rural zones studied were found to ‘have rather self-contained labour markets with limited inflows and outflows’ which was even true of over 70 % of managers and professionals.
A Framework for A Framework for Rural DevelopmentRural Development
Sustainable Rural Development – • Equity –inter and intra generational. • Policy Integration - economic, social and
environmental. • Environmental Integrity – limits, the
precautionary principle, the polluter pays principle, maintaining natural diversity.
• Subsidiarity
How is Rural Development How is Rural Development being achieved?being achieved?
• From Agricultural to Rural Policy
• From Government to Governance
• Regionalism
Objectives of rural Objectives of rural policypolicy
• economic & social regeneration
• social justice for all
• enhancing the value of the countryside
• targeting resources at areas of greatest need
Regional rural delivery Regional rural delivery frameworksframeworks
• simplify service delivery to customers
• agree regional rural priorities, and ensure action is being taken to address them
• ensure rural issues properly integrated into other regional strategies
• link regional and local level rural policy and delivery, especially with Local Authorities and voluntary sector
Stakeholder and Stakeholder and customer engagementcustomer engagement
At local level through Community Planning and
Market & Coastal Town Initiative.
Regionally, to be reinforced through Rural
Affairs Forums to …– ensure effective customer input to regional and national rural policy making– say how well services are being delivered– have regular discussions with Ministers about how well policies are working