|
The indicators being
developed are:
- change in countryside character
- biodiversity
- state of natural resources
- traffic effects
- geographical availability of services
- community vibrancy
- income levels and distribution
- education and training
- access to childcare
- health and special needs
- access to affordable housing
- rural crime
- ICT in rural areas
- rural mobility
- market town prosperity
- business health
- employment characteristics
- sustainable land management
- how people use the countryside
- public concern for the countryside
There is more work to
be done on collecting information on rural issues in the region.
The Regional Observatory and the Regional Assembly will be involved in this work
which will be taken forward by the East
Midlands Rural Affairs Co-ordinator.
The need for 'rural
proofing'
Alongside the recognition that the needs of rural
areas might have to be measured differently from those that are more
urban, it has been acknowledged that the characteristics of rural
areas might mean that strategies, policies and action plans have to
be drawn up differently for rural areas. To this end, the Government
has made 'rural proofing' part of the formal policy-making process
for its own Departments. The 'rural proofing checklist' drawn up by
The Countryside Agency to help this process is a useful starting
point when thinking about how the characteristics of rural
communities, economies and environments need to be taken into
account. The checklist is available at http://www.countryside.gov.uk/ruralproofing It
highlights the following rural characteristics that need to be
considered:
- few service outlets
- higher service delivery costs
- greater travel needs
- few information points
- small (economic) markets
- weak infrastructure
- small firm economy
- land-based industries
- needs not concentrated
- different types of need
- low institutional capacity
- few sites for development
- landscape quality and character
- countryside amenity and access
|
