14 June 2011

Rural people have major concerns about the benefits promised by the Big Society; the Conservative’s flagship policy, a landmark survey has revealed.

When it was rolled out in Liverpool in July 2010, the central policy of the 2010 Conservative election campaign was heavily criticised by Labour leader Ed Miliband, who was quoted in The Guardian as saying the policy was merely the Conservative party "cynically attempting to dignify its cuts agenda, by dressing up the withdrawal of support with the language of reinvigorating civic society."

Now a study commissioned by Rural Services Network, Ruralcity Media and Rose Regeneration has revealed that rural people feel government plans for local people to deliver local services must be better thought through if they are to be beneficial.

The Rural Insight 2011 survey canvassed the views of more than 1300 rural residents and stakeholders across England. Although rural communities value volunteering, it found that many communities lack the enthusiasm or ability needed to deliver more services successfully.

While the survey highlights many attractive attributes about life in the countryside, it also explodes the myth of a rural idyll. Benefits of rural living pinpointed by survey respondents include attractive surroundings, a strong sense of community, good life choices, lack of crime and a lack of pollution. However, it identified challenges such as high fuel costs, a lack of affordable rural housing, poor access to meaningful local employment and slow broadband speeds.

Taken together, these factors make it difficult for many rural residents to access services that are often a long way away.

The report, a joint initiative by economic development experts Rose Regeneration and Ruralcity Media, with support from the Rural Services Network, was launched at the RICS National Rural Conference at the Royal Agricultural College on Tuesday (14 June).

Survey is a ‘wake up call’

Report author and Rose Regeneration managing director Ivan Annibal said, "Many rural residents still expect the state to provide key local services. They prefer the idea of better transport to get people to services, rather than services provided electronically via the internet or by local community groups. This represents another wake up call for those who assume the Big Society will somehow spontaneously spring to life and come to their rescue."

However, the fact that some communities valued the informal provision of rural services by volunteers suggested all was not lost, said Mr Annibal. It was still not too late for the Big Society to make rural communities more sustainable by encouraging people to do more for themselves, he added. Mr Annibal said, "The government must think harder about what makes rural places tick. It must also develop local know-how to make the Big Society happen."

The report includes a foreword by John Shepherd, director of the Rural Evidence Research Centre, University of London. Professor Shepherd said, "People in rural areas are up for volunteering to support the social life of their communities but less so to replace services that are cut."

Graham Biggs, chief executive of the Rural Services Network, said the report's findings chimed strongly with sentiments expressed in the network's manifesto. "The scale of the public expenditure reductions in rural areas is clearly a major issue," he said. "The Rural Insight survey is a useful reminder of the issues, concerns, opportunities and threats facing rural areas – as well as some of the benefits of rural living." Mr Biggs concluded that cuts in public spending had knock-on effects on rural services, rural employment, and therefore the entire rural economy.

The full survey can be downloaded by clicking here.