‘State of the Countryside’ conference sets scene for future rural reporting

A major national conference is taking place in Birmingham today, organised by the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC). It brings together over 100 delegates to debate the impact of the recession and current concerns affecting life in rural England. They will explore and challenge evidence and trends for CRC’s continuing analysis and reporting on rural matters.

Dr. Stuart Burgess, Chair of the CRC and the Government’s Rural Advocate, explained: "We are taking the opportunity to review and reflect on the evidence that will help us to continue to provide important information on rural statistics and trends. This includes our ongoing State of the Countryside updates, as well as contributing to refreshing our ’10 big numbers’ that presents headline statistics about living and working in rural England.

"Today’s conference brings together expert speakers and delegates from different backgrounds to review evidence from a variety of sources and consider the impacts for rural areas. We are looking forward to the outcome of the discussions, to learn more about the realities of the recession in rural areas and the increasing effects of climate change, for example.

"We shall also reflect on some recurring concerns. Our recent ’Rural Insights’ research, homes in on a number of issues contributing to social and economic exclusion in rural areas. Whilst people identified some distinct benefits of living in the countryside, this can often mask stark realities of modern day rural life, such as lack of availability of transport to reach essential services.

"With the recession taking a strong hold in rural communities, individuals are increasingly worried about the availability of jobs, low wages, lack of opportunities for younger people and lack of access to employment information."

Dr. Burgess concluded: "The State of the Countryside conference is an ideal opportunity to highlight the robust evidence and analysis that is crucial to identifying and tackling the sort of issues raised by local people. I frequently witness these at first hand during my regular visits to rural communities around the country."

The conference will feature plenary addresses from Professor Neil Ward (University of East Anglia) and Lisa Harker (Institute of Public Policy Research). Delegates will join a series of workshops, seminars, debates and master classes covering topics ranging from economic wellbeing to flooding, transport and rural disadvantage. The day’s proceedings will close with a question and answer session hosted by current affairs presenter Jonathan Dimbleby.