Transport travails in the West Country
Selaine Saxby, Conservative MP for North Devon, says that in her rural constituency long journeys and older properties all add to the consumer cost
In North Devon’s beautiful countryside, cars are a lifeline. “It’s a big constituency, and we have very little public transport; active travel isn’t really an option for most people. Therefore, people are very reliant on their cars,” says the local MP Selaine Saxby. “The journeys that we make are longer; it’s not just a mile into town, for many people, it is five to 15 miles to the supermarket.” Information presented to Saxby by Lloyds Banking Group showed her constituency in the top 20 per cent for spending on fuel, despite being near the bottom third for overall spend. Before the recent spike in prices, spending on fuel in the area had already increased by 34 per cent between 2020 and 2021.
Spiralling energy costs have been compounded by the dual challenges of older housing stock and “extreme weather”. “For a lot of houses that are that bit older, it is quite difficult to properly insulate unless you’re in a position to replace windows, or cavity walls and those bigger ticket items,” Saxby says. “We have some very pretty, older cottages which – having grown up in one myself – are very hard to insulate. If they are Grade-II or Grade-I listed, it becomes almost impossible.” Saxby says many constituents have been in touch to report they are struggling with heating oil supply and cost, with 28 per cent of homes in the constituency not connected to the gas grid. Farmland makes up around three-quarters of the constituency, and farmers are concerned about the increasing costs of fertiliser, which have a knock-on impact through the food supply chain. However, farmers who had grain stored from last year have benefited from the increasing price due to the war in Ukraine, so the picture is not as straightforward as it might seem, says Saxby.
“We are a resilient bunch in rural Britain. We might just have to dig deep.”
“We’re a resilient bunch in rural Britain. We might just have to dig deep”