Profile of Rural England

The OECD Rural Policy Reviews analyse rural policy and the conditions that typically characterise development in rural areas: low population densities, absence of large cities, long distances between settlements and limited internal economic and social linkages. In this sense, the Rural Review of England, UK is no different. However as the characteristics visible in other OECD rural areas are either not all present, or are present but in markedly different ways, and urban rural interaction is more significant, this study of England offers an interesting perspective. Chapter one reveals that living close proximity to an urban place presents different rural “development” challenges. One such challenge in England is balancing push and pull factors, like preserving land and ensuring regional labour markets work efficiently and improving the availability of rural housing. This chapter sets the tone for the later policy discussion by providing an overview of the key aspects of rurality in England. The first section introduces the definition of “rurality” in the context of the OECD and England. The second section analyses rural demographic trends, focusing on the impact of migrants and commuting patterns in rural England. This is followed, in the third section, by a look at the socio-economic conditions typical to rural England; poverty, social exclusion, the availability of services and housing are some of the issues discussed. The last two sections, provide a sense of not just the rural economy but the factors that have the greatest potential to drive rural economic development.