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
Economic Factsheets – 2016

19 May 2017

Economic Factsheets – 2016

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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Spending on children’s & young people’s services

15 Feb 2017

Spending on children’s & young people’s services

The attached analysis looks at spending data taken from Public Health England. It provides comparison of a chosen authority to the regional and English averages, and also shows the difference...

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House Price Statistics

01 Feb 2017

House Price Statistics

This analysis presents the UK House Price Index (UK HPI data published by Land Registry © Crown copyright 2016.) and associated affordability ratios for a chosen local authority area The...

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Rural Broadband Overview 14/11/2016

15 Nov 2016

Rural Broadband Overview 14/11/2016

The quality of rural broadband provision is a key issue to an area’s economic competitiveness and in providing efficient access to services. This factsheet below uses data collected by Ofcom...

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Rural Mobile Coverage Overview 14/11/2016

15 Nov 2016

Rural Mobile Coverage Overview 14/11/2016

The quality of rural mobile phone coverage is a key issue to an area’s economic competitiveness and in providing efficient access to services. This factsheet below uses data collected by...

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Broadband Speed Analysis

04 Aug 2016

Broadband Speed Analysis

Broadband speed – or indeed the lack of it – remains a big challenge for rural business and communities. Many areas are languishing on connections far slower than those available...

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Quarterly Economic Survey (2012)

24 Jun 2016

Quarterly Economic Survey (2012)

The Federation of Small Businesses conducts a quarterly economic survey. Our analyses of its findings provide an insight into the rural situation. RSN analysis of the FSB Quarterly Economic Survey...

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The Importance of the Pub Industry to Rural Authorities

24 Jun 2016

The Importance of the Pub Industry to Rural Authorities

This analysis studies the importance of the pub industry to rural authorities The importance of the pub industry to rural authorities– Analysis User Guide

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Business Demography

19 May 2016

Business Demography

The attached analysis of Business Demography (data taken from the Office for National Statistics) presents for a local authority area a picture of the health of the business landscape. It...

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Jobs Density

13 May 2016

Jobs Density

Jobs Density is an indicator of labour demand within an area, and as such is an important measure of the strength of the economy. This analysis looks to present this...

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