THE SEVEN KEY FINDINGS FROM THE RURAL COMMISSION RESEARCH

Economy

A two-tier labour market has emerged in North Yorkshire, with a sharp divide in the wages of different sectors.

Workers in the care, leisure, accommodation and food sectors receive far lower incomes than employees in the engineering and technical industries, which supply companies including Jaguar, Land Rover and Boeing.

To drive forward the economy, the Rural Commission said devolution is critical to ensuring the right use of investment, and a mutual bank should be created with funding from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund or the Shared Prosperity Fund. The commission also highlighted a role for North Yorkshire leading in green employment including food, farming, forestry and renewable energy.

More support is needed for small and medium-sized businesses with mentoring, coaching and guidance on issues from accessing finance to marketing.

Government funding should be targeted through the local knowledge of the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, councils and established businesses.

Energy transition

North Yorkshire faces significant challenges in the fight against climate change and meeting the Government’s plan for the UK to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Authorities in North and West Yorkshire have set targets to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2038.

However, much of North Yorkshire’s rural housing stock is solid brick or stone walls, there is no gas grid and also a weak electrical infrastructure.

The Rural Commission said the Government must invest in an electricity network that does not overlook rural areas.

The York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership and North Yorkshire County Council have also been urged to push for investment to boost rural electricity supplies.

The commission also said the authorities representing the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors National Parks and the Nidderdale and Howardian Hills Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty should execute a strategy to allow essential infrastructure upgrades.

The Local Enterprise Partnership should also be tasked with introducing a rural energy community champion.

Digital connectivity

The digital divide is pronounced in North Yorkshire’s rural communities with poor internet connections and mobile phone coverage.

A total of 20 per cent of rural areas have no broadband connection, compared with seven per cent in urban areas.

Average broadband speeds are also much slower in North Yorkshire than nationally – the national average download speed is 45 mega-bits per second, but the county has average speeds of just 30.

Despite North Yorkshire County Council establishing a new company, NYnet, and investing £85m in broadband services, digital connectivity remains a significant challenge.

More than a third of North Yorkshire has no mobile phone coverage, and the big four network providers – EE, O2, Three and Vodafone – cover less than half of its landmass.

The Rural Commission has stated a digital inclusion group needs to be established, while the Government must perceive digital connectivity as a human right in the 21st century.

Ministers have also been urged to place a higher priority on digital inclusion in rural communities.

Farming and land management

The UK’s exit from the European Union has caused major upheaval for North Yorkshire’s farming sector.

Hill farming and livestock farming will be the sectors hardest hit by Brexit, especially for sheep farmers but also those with cattle.

Farming is vital to the Yorkshire and Humber’s economy, with the total income, including support, from agriculture increasing by 26 per cent between 2015 and 2019 to £452m.

The current value of direct payments to farmers in North Yorkshire is about £170m each year, although 80 per cent of upland farming businesses struggle to be viable.

The Rural Commission has called for the Government to adopt a more integrated approach to farming, land management and the environment. North Yorkshire County Council and the Yorkshire Agricultural Society have been urged to establish a new taskforce to help achieve environmental targets.

The Government should also provide free business coaching and mentoring support for farm businesses.

Schools, education and training

Education across North Yorkshire is under immense pressure, with multi-million pound deficits and falling pupil numbers placing the future of rural schools in jeopardy.

In the past three years, there have been eight school closures, and the three smallest local authority-maintained secondary schools in North Yorkshire have a total forecast budget deficit of £2.1m by March 31, 2023.

There are 356 state schools in North Yorkshire, but pupils have often faced long commutes – the Wensleydale school catchment area alone is bigger than the whole of Birmingham.

The Rural Commission has stated the Department for Education must revise its National Funding Formula to ensure increased support for rural secondary schools.

It has also urged North Yorkshire County Council to pioneer a two-stream educational system postGCSE in rural and remote areas, with one focusing on vocational education while the other remains academic. The council and the Local Enterprise Partnership have been told they must also strengthen the offer for post-16 education.

Housing

The affordable homes crisis in North Yorkshire is particularly accentuated in the county’s rural areas.

Average house prices in the Yorkshire Dales are about a third higher than the county’s average, with the average cost of a property nearly £400,000 while the weekly wage in North Yorkshire is just over £530.

There is a high demand for second homes, increasing the strain on an already limited housing stock. According to the National Housing Federation, there are 8,199 second homes in North Yorkshire – the highest number in the region.

The Rural Commission has called for the Government to revise the formula for designating affordable housing so that it reflects average income and not the market value of properties in an area.

Reforms should also allow North Yorkshire County Council to have the power to levy a charge on second homes to be used to finance affordable housing. And each parish in rural North Yorkshire should build five houses over a 10-year period, with 40 per cent of the new properties either classed as affordable housing or available for rental.

Transport

The issue of transport across North Yorkshire, which is England’s largest county, covering more than 3,000 square miles, is among the most complex and contentious issues covered by the Rural Commission.

The county’s sparsely populated communities have made it difficult for sustainable public transport services.

The population density is more than five times lower than the England average. The national average number of people per square kilometre in England is 430 compared with 76 for North Yorkshire and just 36 in Ryedale.

The Rural Commission has stated that the Government must make it clear what rural fund will replace the loss of the EU Rural Development Programme which allowed local communities to respond to transport needs.

North Yorkshire County Council has been recommended to use the Shared Prosperity Fund and the Levelling Up Fund to design schemes for remote areas. The commission also urged the council to provide more services such as flexible public transport directed at actual demand.