CRC Work : State of the Countryside http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/projects/stateofthecountryside/ en-us Copyright 2010 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:34:48 UT Latest items from State of the Countryside on http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/ Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:34:48 UT State of the Countryside conference 2009 material is now available http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/5032 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/5032 This year’s State of the Countryside conference 2009 was held in Birmingham and was targeted at all those with an interest in rural research and analysis and for non-rural researchers interested in services, sustainability, economic and governance issues. Their ideas and expertise will help us shape the 2010 report.

Speakers included:
Stuart Burgess - our chair and the Government's Rural Advocate
Read the full transcript from Stuart’s presentation.

Prof Neil Ward - Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences, University of East Anglia. Read the full transcript and view the slides from Neil’s presentation.

Lisa Harker - Co-Director, IPPR
Read the full transcript and view the slides from Lisa’s presentation.

The event included a variety of conference sessions for delegates to attend; workshops, seminars, debates and master classes.

Presentations from these sessions included:
Rural Economies, Dr Jane Atterton and Dr Hilary Talbot, Centre for Rural Economy.

Recent research results on the effects of climate change on the natural environment, Dr Mike Morecroft, Natural England.

The event closed with an 'Any Questions?' session chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby. Read the full transcript of the session.

Review the agenda from the event

]]> Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:40:02 UT Our State of the Countryside Conference 2009: Setting the scene for future rural reporting http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/4861 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/4861 Our State of the Countryside Conference 2009, taking place in Birmingham today, is bringing together delegates to help shape our 2010 State of the Countryside report.


The event is bringing together expert speakers and delegates to explore evidence and trends affecting life in rural areas, and will also inform our regular State of the Countryside updates and our 10 Big Numbers.


“We're taking the opportunity to review and reflect on the evidence that will help us to continue to provide important information on rural statistics and trends."


The conference will also debate the impact of the recession and highlight the robust evidence and analysis that is crucial to identifying and tackling the issues raised by rural people.


Download the full press release

Find out more about our State of the Countryside work


]]> Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:22:56 UT State of the Countryside Conference 2009 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/4461 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/4461 Our high-profile State of the Countryside report is the primary source of evidence on social, economic and environmental issues in rural areas.


Our State of the Countryside conference is targeted at all those with an interest in rural research and analysis and for non-rural researchers interested in services, sustainability, economic and governance issues. Their ideas and expertise to help us shape the 2010 report.


State of the Countryside 2009 will present current rural research and analytical work, with discussion and debate to help us develop the focus for our 2010 report.


Speakers include:


The event will end with an 'Any Questions?' session chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby. Email your questions, including any light hearted ones for the end, to events@ruralcommunities.gov.uk

We won't be able to use all questions submitted, but we'll try to cover as many as we can.


Download a copy of the 'State of the Countryside Conference 2009' agenda

]]> Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:57:59 UT State of the Countryside changes http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/4005 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/4005 We're now producing future State of the Countryside reports on a biennial reporting cycle. We'll publish the next State of the Countryside report in the summer of 2010.


This July we'll be running a State of the Countryside conference for all those interested in rural research and analysis and for non-rural researchers interested in services, sustainability, economic and governance issues.


We'll be releasing more of our State of the Countryside Updates over the coming year and we've also produced 10 Big Numbers - a short overview of key rural statistics which we'll update as new data become available.


The State of the Countryside conference will present current rural research and analytical work, with discussion and debate to help us develop the focus for our 2010 report.


We'll also be inviting external participants to present their work, chair sessions and respond to others’ findings and conclusions.


We'll add more information about the event and how you can contribute here shortly.


Read our State of the Countryside Updates

Download the 10 Big Numbers

Find out more about our State of the Countryside work and download State of the Countryside reports

For advance information about the conference email: info@ruralcommunities.gov.uk

]]> Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:25:51 UT State of the Countryside 2008 reveals increasing inequality in rural areas http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3259 http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk/items/3259 'State of the Countryside 2008' is the tenth report in our series providing the definitive picture of rural England and a unique analysis of how it's changing.


Whilst there are many advantages to living and working in rural England, there remain some significant challenges. The quality of life may often be better in rural areas but this is not the case everywhere and for everyone.


'State of the Countryside 2008' highlights a rise in households living in poverty in rural England and a growing inequality between remote rural areas and other parts of the countryside.


The report also looks forward to what the future might hold for rural communities and reflects on what aspects have remained important since the first report was published in 1999.


Find out more about 'State of the Countryside 2008'

Read the full press release

Read an ePolitix interview about the report with Stuart Burgess, our chair and the Government's Rural Advocate

Some of the media coverage for the report


CPRE have issued a message supporting our report:

"The State of the Countryside reports are a vital resource for understanding our countryside. Thriving rural economies show the countryside's value to the nation's economy. But development pressures continue to mount, and we are pleased to see that the environmental changes that are so important to rural communities receive greater attention in this year's report."

"The report also points to a growing need to deal with rural disadvantage. We hope the series as a whole will prompt greater action to tackle rural inequality, while safeguarding the characteristics that make the countryside special."


We've also had responses to the report from Age Concern and NALC

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