rural hinterlands

The forgotten rural pieces of the West Midlands

Alister Scott is a rural hero and a man after my own heart when it comes to rural. His reintroduction of the fringe (not a fashion statement) in this article is most timely as central Government seems to continue its fixation with cities. This article tells us:

One could be forgiven for not realising that the West Midlands has diverse and attractive rural spaces with agriculture alone producing some £440 million to the economy (Defra, 2013).

A significant rural-urban fringe surrounds “Greater Birmingham” where the wider rural development dimension has been largely forgotten and neglected in policy and decision making.

Recent debates about economic growth, housing, inward investment and devolution have focussed almost exclusively on the city and surrounding urban areas with only the green belt being the quintessential “rural” bit that features in contested debates over the kinds of growth and development that we want.

Whilst this seems logical given the economic powerhouse that is Birmingham, there are significant missed opportunities in neglecting rural development and inherent dangers in not understanding the urban-rural interdependencies and wider natural assets that are key to the future prosperity of the West Midlands itself.

Regional cities drive prosperity, says a charter for local freedom

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The Cities are grabbing all the limelight again. I think the drafters of Magna Carta knew that the town couldn’t do it alone. The RSN has a tidy manifesto out there and I hope those likely to get dazzled by stories like this also find time to read it  It would also be good if the 21 Century City Burghers behind these initiatives had the humility to think about the unbreakable bonds they have with their rural hinterlands. This story tells us:

In Glasgow, this week, leaders of Britain’s 10 largest cities outlined a modern charter for local freedom to give councils the legitimacy enjoyed by counterparts in other mature western democracies.

It was unveiled at a summit rich in symbolism, with the recent addition of Cardiff and Glasgow city councils to an influential eight-strong Core Cities group of English cities. This pan-British urban alliance is gaining momentum.

But it has deeper significance. Britain’s core cities – from Newcastle to Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and Liverpool – have gained support for their charter from a wide range of authorities, across the political divide.

The charter aims to “reverse the loss of faith in politics and strengthen civil society”. It calls on the next government to create an independent body which could oversee a new constitutional relationship between the centre and local government. It would decide on the balance of power between Whitehall and town halls – an initiative that the Guardian suggested in an alternative election manifesto during the 1990s.

Rightmove Happy at Home Index

As you all know I like indexes – I think they tell us interesting things about people’s life experiences. This index compares places across 12 indicators – the press release which accompanies it pronounces: 

“ Welcome to Carlisle: The Happiest Place to live in the UK” – Despite numerous reports highlighting the contrasting fortunes for the North and South on conventional property measures like property prices and transaction volumes, those living in The North (101) are marginally happier with where they live than those in The South (99). Seven of the 10 happiest cities in the UK are in the North – of the Top 10, only Norwich (104), Dorchester (104) and Exeter (103) are in the South. Of the 12 measures that comprise the index, the North outscores the South on all but two (recreation and amenities).”

I would be really interested on a far less scientific basis on your nominations for the best and worst places in rural England to live. If I get enough interest I will see if we can replicate the actual right move methodology for ruralEngland.