Published at 05:31, Friday, 18 July 2008

PEOPLE living in parts of rural Cumbria are among the country’s worst paid and most deprived, with levels of fuel poverty in some areas among the highest in England, according to a Government report.

Stuart Burgess: ‘A unique opportunity to reflect on the changes taking place in rural England’

The State of the Countryside 2008 report, published by the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) this week, is the 10th annual analysis of its kind.

While the north west’s rural workforce is one of the country’s most productive, wages continue to be low.

Dr Stuart Burgess, chairman of the CRC, said: “The series of State of the Countryside reports provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the changes taking place in rural England, look forward to what the future might hold for rural communities.”

The report highlights a lack of affordable housing, declining services in rural areas and poorer accessibility to services for people without cars.

In many isolated parts of Cumbria, broadband is still not available, putting businesses at a disadvantage.

A decline in the number of people working in agriculture was also highlighted.

Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk