The availability of local services and its impact on community cohesion in rural areas: Evidence from the English countryside

Abstract

This paper investigates how the availability of services and amenities influences levels of community cohesion in rural England. Specifically, we measure levels of community cohesion in selected rural parishes between two points of time (2000 and 2010) using an index of indicators based on the presence or absence of retailers and amenities. Results of this analysis provide empirical evidence that the presence of facilities and services have a considerable impact on residents in rural areas, suggesting a significant relationship between the presence of small retailers and social engagement in the English countryside. We discuss these findings with regard to policies and initiatives that could enhance the positive impact that services and amenities operating within villages and rural hamlets have on local communities. https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/lec Local Economy The availability of local services and its impact on community cohesion in rural areas: evidence from the English countryside 1. Introduction In 2016, the population of England was 55.3 million (ONS, 2016). Of these, 9.4 million, about one in six people, lived in rural areas, with about half a million people living in sparse settings. A higher proportion of the elderly population lived in rural areas, with more than half of residents aged 45 and above, compared with around 40 percent in urban areas. In most isolated villages and hamlets in a sparse setting 1 , the proportion of residents aged 45 and above was approximately 60 percent (DEFRA, 2018). While levels of employment in England were generally higher in rural compared than urban areas, one in five living in rural sparse settings was economic inactive (DEFRA, 2018). According to Local Government Association, 'changing population patterns, including outward migration of young people and inward migration of older people, are leading to a rural population that is increasingly older than the urban population' (2017:7). These changes seem to have had an effect on employment structure: since the financial crisis in 2008, the percentage of home workers in rural hamlets and dispersed areas increased significantly compared to those located in urban areas, at 34 per cent compared with 13 per cent respectively (DEFRA, 2018). Home workers are more likely to be working in higher skilled roles and earn on average a higher hourly wage, however this will vary across rural area (DEFRA, 2018). These figures provide an overview of many peripheral and remote communities located in the English countryside. On the one hand, these communities are characterised by an ageing resident population (ONS, 2016; Local Government Association, 2017). On the other hand, the same communities have seen a growing influx of new residents mostly skilled and higher educated in the past recent years, as reported by the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC, 2010; see also DEFRA, 2018). In such context, the availability of small retailers and amenities becomes an important 1 The Rural-Urban Local Authority Classification, proposed by Bi...

Public houses and house prices in Great Britain: a panel analysis

“…However, while pubs appear to be the most important amenities in rural areas (Cabras and Lau, 2019), this may not be the case elsewhere. Some sources suggest a link between the presence of pubs and anti-social behaviour (Crawford & Flint, 2009;Hough & Hunter, 2008), mainly related to the expansion of the NTE (Tierney, 2006), although a clear relationship has not been proved as yet.…”

“…In the United Kingdom (UK hereafter), public houses or 'pubs' provide important places for social aggregation, offering physical settings for many types of communal activities (Maye et al, 2005;Mount & Cabras, 2016). Several recent studies confirm the positive impact of pubs as third places on local communities (Bowler & Everitt, 1999;Cabras & Mount, 2017;Maye et al, 2005;Mount & Cabras, 2016), and this impact on community cohesion appears to be greater than other third place including community halls, village shops, post offices and libraries (Cabras & Lau, 2019). Any decline in the number of pubs, therefore, represents a potential threat to the cohesion and attractiveness of a community.…”

A Model for Public Postal Network Reorganization Based on Dea and Fuzzy Approach

“…The similar study was conducted by Cabras and Lau (2019). This paper investigates how the availability of services and amenities influences levels of community cohesion in rural England.…”

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