Housing contributes to viable, vibrant and sustainable rural communities, this is particularly the case where there is diversity of housing and thus diversity of residents, writes Ruth McAreavey, professor of sociology at Newcastle University. It prevents rural localities from becoming solely a place of retirement or one of second homes. It allows young people to remain in the place where they grew up thereby contributing to the local economy and accommodating the needs of people on low, medium and high incomes. A recent poll found that 70% of respondents agree that a focus on housing will be the most effective in Levelling Up the country and reducing inequality.
To mark Rural Housing Week, which significantly has a theme of ‘Levelling Up rural communities’ this year, NICRE has published my report with David Kemmett Rural housing: challenges, opportunities and solutions (July 2022) (PDF: 330KB) which examines the wider role and impact of housing in rural England, with a focus on community-led development.
At a time when there is a national focus on the right to buy and access to affordable homes, it is worth shining the spotlight on alternatives to individual ownership. Community-led housing projects can provide housing in perpetuity. This contrasts with policies promoting the right to buy which result in a reduction of social housing stock over time – unless there is a well-designed policy that replaces houses that have been purchased. The wider benefits of community-led housing projects include nurturing cohesive communities and sustainable communities as well as vibrant economies.
Community-led housing has been found to encourage mixed tenure schemes. This enables young people to remain in their area and others to age healthily. It can contribute to the viability of local shops, amenities, schools and services and assist local employers with the recruitment and retention of their workforce. It is therefore a key enabler for rural enterprise.
However, we must remember that housing needs are localised and, as such, housing solutions need to be tailored to those local needs. In some such places, community-led solutions can be very effective.
A lack of affordable housing in rural England has been a problem for many years. For many people who are working in the local economy, be that in health and social care, education or hospitality, incomes tend to be lower than the regional average. This makes it difficult for them to live in the village where they work and high house prices prevent first-time buyers from getting a foothold in the housing market.
Community-led housing schemes allow a local community to manage homes in perpetuity, allowing local people to remain in the area. This facilitates their involvement in local enterprise. It offers a policy solution to a shortage of affordable housing. It avoids the prevalence of ‘reluctant leavers’ as local people become displaced from the community where they wish to live and work. In so doing community-led housing contributes to sustainable rural communities and has a part to play in Levelling Up. But research has shown how communities need to have significant know-how or access to knowledge networks to develop local solutions. Such schemes would therefore seem ripe for funding under the Levelling Up agenda, so long as that policy adequately supports communities with low levels of infrastructure, including capital and knowledge.
I am Co-investigator at NICRE and Professor of Sociology at Newcastle University. My research focuses on rural social change, rural governance, international migration and research ethics and methodologies. I have published extensively on rural development and I’m interested in the inequalities faced by migrants in the labour market, particularly the agri-food sector, and in other parts of everyday life. I’m an active member of various international research networks including the Trans-Atlantic Rural Research Network and the European Society for Rural Sociology (ESRS). I am currently co-editor-in-chief of Sociologia Ruralis.
Prior to working in academia I held various positions in the voluntary and community sector and within local government. I continue to work with third sector organisations and with government departments to ensure that my research has social and economic impact. I’m a Trustee of the Plunkett Foundation.
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