Rural life threat

More affordable homes needed

COUNTRYSIDE COMMUNITIES have long been the backbone of this country, including many here in Yorkshire, yet the fabric of village life is under growing threat.

The scale of this decline, revealed in research carried out by the Rural Life Monitor for the National Housing Federation, is shocking. According to the study, 52 schools in rural areas have closed their doors in the last five years due to falling populations, while countryside pubs have been closing at a rate of more than seven a week, with 1,365 calling time in the past four years.

Rural areas are beset by ageing populations and a lack of cheaper housing which is forcing younger people to move away from towns and villages where their families have often lived for generations.

However, the National Housing Federation says that building just a small number of affordable homes could stem this exodus and help reinvigorate the rural communities without which we would all be poorer.