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Church could join state to aid countryside, says advocate
by Pat Ashworth
LIFE in the countryside can offer great advantages, but the scale of poverty and disadvantage needs to be better recognised, says the Government’s Rural Advocate, the Revd Dr Stuart Burgess. Dr Burgess, a former President of the Methodist Conference, launched his second report to the Prime Minister on Monday, on behalf of the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC). He calls for concerted leadership from the Government on the key issue of poverty, and highlights the lack of affordable housing as the most frequent and urgent issue raised by rural communities. Rural disadvantage is “hidden through the averaging of official statistics and a perception of the countryside as affluent and idyllic”, says Dr Burgess, whose report identifies 928,000 rural households living below the official government poverty threshold of £16,492 per household per annum. Rural housing strategies must be reflected in regional strategies, he urges, highlighting demographic changes resulting in nearly 400,000 fewer young people aged 15-29 in rural areas than 20 years ago. Elderly people in particular are fiercely independent and often do not appreciate the benefits they are entitled to, the report says. The report draws attention to the severe difficulties faced by farmers in the wake of unprecedented levels of flooding and animal disease last year. Hill farmers in particular have had “a hard and enduring rough time”, says Dr Burgess, who wants the Government to establish a commission to look at the future of hill farming. Dr Burgess questions the way the tax system deals with second homes. He calls for creativity and a freeing up of the planning regulations, and strongly advocates the mainstreaming of Community Land Trusts. As a chief landowner, the Church could play an important and fundamental part here, he said on Tuesday: “The good thing about a Community Land Trust is that it retains affordable housing in perpetuity, and targets key workers. If a developer takes it over, it is affordable only until it is sold on.” Access to local services is a key feature of the report. While the future sustainability of services is undergirded by affordable housing, Dr Burgess cites many examples of how communities get together and provide services which are under threat. “There’s a marvellous opportunity for every village either to be creative about the use of their village hall or church. It’s a fundamental challenge to churches: if you are serious about mission in the 21st century, then every church building has to be used more creatively than just for worship. It could easily be the centre for renewal in the village. The Church is one of the best rural networks we have.” The report has 20 recommendations, ranging from a standing recovery fund to help business keep trading after environmental catastrophes to encouraging rural communities to take a lead on climate change, something Dr Burgess is prepared to champion. A report on rural economies will follow at the beginning of April. Access to good quality broadband is already identified as an urgent priority to help small businesses.www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/publications/ruraladvocatereport2007 |
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