Observatory (Archive)

The Observatory opens the window to a statistical view of rural life. It provides analyses and comment on key service provision and issues affecting rural communities.

 ECONOMY 

The Observatory section on the Economy looks at all elements of the rural economy such as employment, small businesses and wage levels to build a picture of the impact on rural communities.

 HOUSING

Balancing the housing market, improving the quality of housing stock, and enabling the provision of affordable housing are all key issues which concern rural local authorities. These are often topical issues and the Housing section of the Observatory considers what the data available can tell us about the position in rural communities, and what challenges rural communities might face in the future.

 ENVIRONMENT

Both rural and uban environments face similar challenges with issues such as flooding, flytipping however the implications of these issues can be significant in rural areas where the cost of dealing with them is significantly higher per incident. Delivering waste management services to rural communities also has significant challenges in terms of cost and logistics and analysis on these issues and other environmental concerns are included in this section.

 HEALTH, WELLBEING & SOCIAL SERVICES

A civilized society is one in which health and wellbeing are promoted, and care is provided to those requiring help or assistance to live a full and productive life. The benefits of a healthy community are measurable both in terms of economy and the relative levels of happiness and fulfillment experienced. Likewise, the negative impact of health inequality is also a measurable factor in the wellbeing of a community. This section of the Observatory takes a look at the indicators of health, wellbeing, and the functions of social services to provide a perspective on how rural communities fare in these measures.

 LEARNING, SKILLS & EDUCATION 

The mission of the Department for Education is to develop a highly educated society in which opportunity is more equal for children and young people no matter what their background or family cirumstance. This section of the Observatory investigates whether these opportunities extend to children and young people from rural England.

 LOCAL SERVICES 

What makes our rural communities sustainable and vibrant? At the heart of our communities are elements such as access to services, healthcare, education, shops and community facilities. This section includes analysis in these areas.

 TRAVEL & TRANSPORT

Transport, travel and the associated infrastructure required to move about an area are particularly important to those living in rural isolation to access services, education/training and employment. The Travel and Transport section of the Observatory presents data that shows the reality of rural life and rural service provision.

 EMERGENCY SERVICES  

Emergency services provision including fire and rescue services, face particular challenges in their rural communities that can be quite different to their neighbouring urban communities. This section of the Observatory includes data on these issues and also considers community safety and related issues for rural communities.

 ENGLISH INDICES OF DEPRIVATION 

The English indices of deprivation 2015 were published in September 2015, and measure the relative deprivation of small areas in England. Details can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2015
Statistics on relative deprivation in England are given in this section.

Hot Topics
Sub-national electricity and gas consumption analysis

02 Jan 2019

Sub-national electricity and gas consumption analysis

The attached spreadsheet presents information on electricity and gas consumption at the local authority level for the period spanning 2005 to 2017. The data comes from the Department of Energy...

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Analysis of the Annual Population Survey Personal Well-being dataset: 2011/12 – 2017/18

11 Dec 2018

Analysis of the Annual Population Survey Personal Well-being dataset: 2011/12 – 2017/18

Through the answers given to four questions taken from the Annual Population Survey it is possible to gauge levels of life satisfaction, happiness, estimates of the feeling that things in...

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Sub-national residual fuel consumption analysis

07 Dec 2018

Sub-national residual fuel consumption analysis

Residual fuels are defined as non-gas, non-electricity and non-road transport fuels, and cover consumption of coal, petroleum, manufactured solid fuels and bioenergy and waste not used for electricity generation or...

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An Analysis of Excess Winter Mortality

03 Dec 2018

An Analysis of Excess Winter Mortality

Cold winter months can be a particular concern for those in a community with health issues, or for those struggling to cover their heating costs.  The following analysis looks at...

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Second Home Ownership in your Authority

28 Nov 2018

Second Home Ownership in your Authority

The below analysis looks at the level of second home ownership in local authorities over the years 2012 to 2018, and provides a relative comparison to similarly rurally ranked local...

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Analysis of Second Homes in Rural Communities

28 Nov 2018

Analysis of Second Homes in Rural Communities

Second home ownership in rural communities continues to be a hotly debated subject, bringing with it arguments from both sides.  To help inform the debate, the following analysis allows the...

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Economic Factsheets 2018

20 Nov 2018

Economic Factsheets 2018

To inform and contextualise a local authority area’s economic situation, factsheets have been produced for our member authorities providing a wide range of facts, figures and associated graphs. The factsheets...

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Education & Skills Factsheets 2018

11 Oct 2018

Education & Skills Factsheets 2018

The RSN Education and Skills Profile brings together key data to inform and contextualise a local authority areas particular situation. The analysis provides comparison to the authority class and to...

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Travel & Transport Factsheets 2018

31 Jul 2018

Travel & Transport Factsheets 2018

To inform and contextualise a local authority area’s travel and transport situation, factsheets have been produced for our member authorities providing a wide range of facts, figures and associated graphs....

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Housing Factsheets

09 May 2018

Housing Factsheets

To inform and contextualise a local authority area’s housing situation, factsheets have been produced for our member authorities providing a wide range of facts, figures and associated graphs. The factsheets...

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