The past twenty years have seen the rural population of the East of England grow faster than urban areas. The social composition of rural areas has changed as older people have moved out into the countryside and younger people migrated into urban ce...

Social characteristics of the region.

In spite of the perceptions of a rural idyll, rural prosperity is not uniform. Significant levels of poverty and disadvantage exist, mostly in remote rural and coastal areas. Rural households in the region also face difficulties accessing essential rural services such as doctor’s surgeries, schools and post offices. In addition, transport services are patchy and affordable housing is difficult to access. Those at greatest disadvantage tend to be the elderly, young and people without transport.

 

On average, the majority of people in the region’s rural communities enjoy slightly better health, levels of educational attainment and lower levels of crime than people living in urban areas. The sense of community remains strong in rural areas, but many lack facilities to support community activity due to closure of community centres, pubs and village shops.

Businesses are beginning to find innovative solutions to counteract the loss of village shops, such as internet retailing and community owned shops, enabling people to meet their own needs. The East of England region is the first region where communities are trying out mobile post offices.

Living in an affordable home is important for people’s quality of life. Achieving this is particularly difficult for those on low incomes or seasonally employed. The true requirement for affordable housing is often hidden, as government statistics do not include some homeless categories, such as those sleeping on a friend’s floor. The continuing rise of house prices in the East of England enhances the problems. Even people earning a good salary can have difficulty buying a home in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.