Time to level up against rural disadvantage, says CPRE

Commenting on the government’s one-year spending review, Tom Fyans deputy chief executive of CPRE, the countryside charity, said:

‘Coronavirus has led to seismic changes in how and where we live and work and that’s why it is critical that the government begins to level up against rural disadvantage. Rural communities have not received a fair share of public money for too long and aren’t able to fulfill their potential in contributing to the wider economy. We know from painful experience that rural areas have been living with failing public transport and housing systems for decades. Right now, care workers are priced out of nine in ten rural areas and too many people are living in transport deserts – areas where traveling by public transport is not a practical option.

‘The Chancellor is absolutely right to be targeting funding on better place making to create the communities we can feel proud to call home. But we need to make sure rural communities get their fair share through increased spending on rural transport and housing. Done right, this could provide rural communities with homes and transport they can afford and could also deliver substantial returns for the wider economy - our economic modelling has shown that for every ten new affordable homes built, the rural economy will be boosted by over one million pounds.

‘That’s why we’re calling on the Chancellor to ensure that government departments have the funding they need to breathe new life into rural areas and connect up countryside communities with essential services. This must be tied together with a clear and ambitious plan for rural areas backed by major investment. It’s high time for the government to begin supercharging spending in rural areas to level up against rural disadvantage and support a thriving countryside.’