| Weekly summary - 19 November 2010 | |
 Here is Hinterland - full of doom and gloom I'm afraid this week - but I feel strangely unaffected by the recessionary grind these past few days.
Perhaps I am just getting used to it. Or maybe it is just a case of adopting the devil-may-care attitude exhibited by our Jack Russell Ralph and other similar Lincolnshire County owned small dogs with big hearts like Luigi, owned by Judy in our Leader team.
|
|
| Cornwall floods: live updates |
 (Link: The Guardian, 17 November)The Rose team was in Cornwall this week evaluating a farm business support project called 'Farm Cornwall'. The project is based in Long Rock, Penzance. Over breakfast, we learned that the A30 was closed and that major flooding had beset large parts of the north of the county. I am quite pleased to face the prospect of being stuck in Cornwall but this article reminds us of how remote in terms of key infrastructure the more rural fringes of England are. There are a number of distinctive rural characteristics which need to be recognised (even in these austere times) by Central Government in its approach to economic regeneration. I am currently working with the RSN to identify synergies between the four predominantly rural Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) which Government has announced. These include: Lincolnshire, Cumbria, Cornwall and the Marches. Others will follow as more LEPs are announced - and some of the existing LEPs may also have a rural footprint - but we have the opportunity now to lay down a collective marker (e.g. in terms of issues such as rural resilience). If you would like me to keep you up to speed with progress please don't hesitate to get in touch. |
Bio-fuel plan 'will cause
Ghost estates and broken lives:
the human cost of the Irish crash |
 (Link: Independent, 17 November) I love Ireland. It seems to me that this predominantly rural country - and its transition to becoming the "Celtic Tiger" - has laid a positive path for the dynamic development of places not too dissimilar in profile to English rural regions. In a different world, where RDAs and Assemblies had real power, we may have seen scope for places like the South West to develop distinctive economies, drawing strength from their rurality and landscapes. I know that 'rural regional development' was deeply unpopular in most of "shire England" so this tale, of how Ireland was too small and narrow economically to ride out adversity, provides a corrective. A corrective to the idea that regional development at the sub-national (or in Ireland's case the small national) scale can work. However, the population of Norway is on a par with Southern Ireland which has followed a more prudent and successful path - they are though the exception. In this global age of big trading nations it looks like the EU is the best bet for economic resilience- in the case of small places like Ireland (even with EU help) the "Indy" points to an awful recession legacy: "100,000 households are struggling to make regular repayments on the money they owe". And yet, house prices continue to fall precipitously. Together with slumping disposable incomes due to frozen wages and stubbornly high unemployment (still running at more than 1 in 8 adults of working age) many fear a social disaster is unfolding. I fear as the public sector cuts bite we will see some of this occurring in rural England. |
| Government 'reneges on midwives pledge' | |
This story shows that the NHS is not exempt from the impact of public sector cuts. Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Cathy Warwick (the General Secretary of The Royal College of Midwives) said: "Before the election, both David Cameron and Nick Clegg pledged to [train] more midwives. David Cameron, as recently as January, had an article in The Sun and said if he were in power he would give us 3,000 more midwives.
"What's happened is we have now had a meeting with Andrew Lansley and the government is clearly not prepared to fulfill that commitment."
She added: "Midwives have continued to do amazing work despite the fact that the birth rate has gone up by 20% and their numbers have only gone up by 12%." This article provides more details about the concerns of the profession arising from a survey of top midwives.
For me, the access and distance issues in rural areas will have a disproportionate impact on the midwifery support available in rural settings. This will be particularly acute in areas where the population is rising more rapidly compared to urban England. This is also a consequence of "City Flight": a phenomenon involving people from all age groups in society moving into rural areas - not just the over 50s.
|
| Unemployment falls while Bank of England split three ways over interest rates |
 (Link: Daily Telegraph, 17 November) This article describes how misleading headline statistics can be. Whilst the headline figure for unemployment has fallen more than expected this quarter, the deep structural impacts of our recession are revealed as we see part time jobs and self employment replacing full time work. The article explains how "employment rose by 167,000 over the quarter to reach 29.19 million, mainly driven by self-employment and by part-time workers. The number of full-time employees fell by 62,000 on the quarter to reach 18.17million." Interviewing farmers in Cornwall this week I have been struck, even on medium sized farms, by how important off-farm income is. In practice, this means one partner within most relationships having a job. I am not against part time jobs per se and really value entrepreneurship. I do, however, have disquiet about the impact of the loss of good quality well paid full time jobs - even in a recession. I defy anybody to say that this is a good thing, particularly in the context of rural areas. |
Whitehall 'to control purse strings'
in schools funding shake-up |
 (Link: The Guardian, 13 November)This article explains how: "Whitehall could take full control of state school funding in England under proposals drawn up by ministers to remove the role of town halls". A switch to a 'national funding formula' is Education Secretary Michael Gove's preferred option for reform - according to a draft copy of a forthcoming White Paper seen by the Financial Times. Centrally resetting budgets for primary and secondary schools would end the present 'opaque and illogical system' of allowing local authorities flexibility to decide budgets. Interestingly, I have recently been looking at school funding in Devon and Lincolnshire. Here it is the local authority and its ability to apply local priorities and approaches to the distribution of funding which enables effective policies around, for example, sustaining small rural schools to be achieved. I have little confidence that the application of a national funding formula will do anything but make it more difficult to sustain rural provision of schools services. |
| Consultations | A Long-Term Focus for Corporate Britain: A Call for Evidence - BIS
Let's make sure there are some rural responses to this. On 25 October, Business Secretary Vince Cable launched the first stage of a review into corporate governance and economic short-termism by issuing a call for evidence.
The review aims to establish whether there are further issues affecting the functioning of capital markets and, if so, what are the causes. It considers the role of directors and shareholders and asks fundamental questions; for example, about shareholder engagement, market short-termism and the functioning of the investment chain in the UK.
It also considers directors' remuneration and - following up the Takeover Panel's recent announcement - the economic case for takeovers. Closes 14 Jan 2011.
Consultation on Revising the Strategic National Transport Corridors - Dft
This 12-week consultation is on changing the criteria defining infrastructure included in Strategic National Corridors (SNCs) to promote connectivity with the capital cities of the United Kingdom. The consultation document explains the background to our proposals and the intended effects, and invites you to respond. Closes 10 December 2010.
Bovine Tuberculosis: the government's approach to tackling the disease and consultation on a badger control policy - Defra
The Coalition Government has committed, as part of a package of measures, to develop affordable options for a carefully-managed and science-led policy of badger control in areas with high and persistent levels of bovine TB in cattle. Defra is inviting your views on the Government's planned approach to tackling bovine TB in badgers through this consultation. Closes 8 December 2010
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Rural Services Network - working with Knight Frank
 Knight Frank is RSN's property partner and specialises in helping the Public Sector maximise the value of its rural property portfolios. This is particularly important at a time when budgets are under immense pressure.
Because we are the only Office of Government Commerce (OGC) approved rural property consultancy, we can provide immediate strategic advice if needed. Our specialisms include strategic asset reviews, Landlord and Tenant compliance assessments, enhancing capital and revenue positions and full or partial management.
For a no obligation discussion, please contact rsn@knightfrank.com. To find out more about our services, please look at our website.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| And finally... | | Hard times cause hard feelings over office etiquette
Independent, 17 November 2010
This article explains how: "Greggs, the bakery chain, is one of the firms that has found a smart way through the recession by offering instant breakfasts to people who head for the office on empty stomachs, anxious to be seen at their desks.
"The majority of Britons - 60 per cent, according to one survey - still think breakfast is part of a ritual you perform before you leave the home to start the working day. However, there is the fast-growing percentage, particularly men aged 25-34, who see their lives as too rushed to set aside time for breakfast at home - or indeed a cooked meal at lunchtime - and treat eating as a re-fuelling exercise performed while at work."
Now what rural re-fuelling options I wonder, might we be able to offer to anxious career minded young office workers - Cornish pasties, Melton Mowbray pork pies, Lincolnshire Chine, Colston Bassett Stilton, Yorkshire Fast Rascals?
The high cholesterol from these options may even provide them with a career strengthening energy boost although are unlikely to be good for their blood pressure!
|
|
|
|
|
| About Us: | Hinterland is an exclusive weekly service offering a rural perspective on national news events from the past week.
It is provided by the Rural Services Network - a national network devoted to
safeguarding and improving services in rural communities across England.
We are the only national network focusing specifically on this vital aspect of rural life.
| www.rsnonline.org.uk
|
| brought to you by: |  | | Rose Regeneration |
|
|
(Link: 