Rural Stakeholders & Assessment of Success (Edexcel A Level Geography)
Revision Note
Contrasting Views on Rural Spaces
Rural living is viewed differently by various demographic and ethnic groups
Contrasting Views on the Rural Living Space
Groups | Contrasting views |
|---|---|
Different generations | Younger generations are more likely to migrate away from rural areas, where there are fewer economic opportunities and lower average income levels Older generations may view rural environments as places of peace and quiet, which can be attractive for people entering retirement |
Minority ethnic groups | Migrants might face prejudice or racism due to the lack of diversity in rural areas and could feel uncomfortable in the local community |
Deprived groups | Work in rural areas can be seasonal and poorly paid, making it hard for people in lower-income groups to maintain financial security |
Rural areas will have different issues requiring management, including:
Higher levels of deprivation due to lower incomes and the seasonal nature of jobs
Declining rural services e.g. education, healthcare and retail
Poorer transport and communication infrastructure e.g. superfast broadband
Fewer affordable homes, exacerbated by lower wages
Local and national strategies aim to resolve issues and manage change within rural living spaces
National strategies include:
LEADER (Links between actions for the development of the rural economy) programme & regeneration partnership
Funded by the EU - the UK engaged with several LEADER programmes before BREXIT
Example of a coordinated and integrated approach to economic and community regeneration in a rural area
Uses local knowledge of the value of a place to promote grassroots, community-led rural development
Rural enterprise zones
In 2015, the government introduced 15 new rural enterprise zones to encourage the development of new businesses, enabling growth in these rural areas
The local government in each area can decide what incentives they give to businesses in an enterprise zone, such as:
A business rate holiday
More streamlined planning regulations
Superfast broadband
National investments in mobile networks and high-speed broadband have allowed more people to work in rural areas
Local strategies include:
Landowners and farmers are diversifying
Over 60% of UK farms have diversified
Farms may start to produce and sell speciality cheeses, farm unusual animals, or even convert their buildings for other uses (e.g. galleries, farm shops)
The most common forms of diversification are:
Renewable energy (29%)
Property letting (15%)
Holiday lets (12%)
This creates more economic opportunities in the area for young people in the countryside
Local authorities granting planning permission to particular groups can influence the future of rural areas
For example, granting planning permission to land developers that plan to include affordable homes for local people and keep second-home ownership to a minimum
Wealthier short-term residents purchasing second homes in popular rural areas, increase high prices for local residents, creating tension
Case study - Lake District Rural Revival Partnerships
Established in 2006, the ‘Lake District Rural Revival Partnerships’ were formed to:
Facilitate management of the area
Involve representatives from the public, private, community and voluntary sectors (25 organisations are involved)
Reduce the rural economic decline in the Lake District region
Strategies include:
Developing land management and diversification
Developing opportunities to create social awareness
Investigating the ways young people can be involved and develop their skills
Working together to create a greener environment
Ensuring mobile coverage, superfast broadband and Wi-Fi service for communities to keep in close contact
Investing in flood resilience measures
Encouraging farmers to raise local breeds of sheep
The Partnership is a successful example of how the interests of multiple stakeholders can be managed in a rural area
There are many competing land users in the Lake District e.g. farmers, industry owners, visitors and residents
The needs of the wildlife, local heritage and tourists are all considered in the decision-making
The Fell Futures is one of the projects addressing a nationally identified skills shortage in the Lakes
It has helped train 12 apprentices and 30 new volunteers in skills such as dry-stone walling, habitat conservation and forestry
It has enabled every apprentice to gain employment, with 90% working in Cumbria
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Remember, rural places in the UK rarely have culturally diverse populations, apart from a few exceptions like rural Lincolnshire. Rural areas do have demographically diverse populations with young people, working people and retired people.
Economic, Social, Demographic & Environmental Variables
The success of managing change in diverse rural communities can be judged using four variables:
Economic e.g. increasing average incomes and the levels of unemployment
Social e.g. reducing levels of deprivation and creating affordable housing
Demographic changes e.g. improving life expectancy and reduced health deprivation
Environmental e.g. reducing pollution levels and the extent of protected areas
The economic variable:
Often the driving force behind changing rural areas
National benefits sometimes are seen as more important than local views e.g. improving the transport infrastructure between urban areas, such as HS2
The social variable:
Any change should cater to the needs of locals as well as newcomers to the area
Locals should not be excluded or forced out of their area
Declining rural services (e.g. healthcare, banking and retail) make everyday living increasingly difficult for pensioners
The environmental variable:
Most rural communities have important natural and historic heritage, which encourages tourism but needs protecting
An enhanced environment will attract people to live, work or visit the place
The variable for demographic changes:
A decrease in the overall numbers of any age group, in an area, is not a positive indicator
The challenges of rural areas may have caused these groups to leave e.g. young people leave in search of better-paid employment
Rural Stakeholders & Assessment of Success
Managing change in diverse rural communities involves a wide range of stakeholders with different realities and objectives e.g.
Residents
Local government
National government
Local businesses
All stakeholders can be divided into two groups:
Groups that directly affect the management or handling of the issue
Groups that are affected by the management of the issue
These groups may exercise a positive role e.g. groups keen to develop derelict land into commercial properties
Groups may have a negative role e.g. the protestors who will lose out if the scheme goes ahead, like locals who may want new affordable housing
Each stakeholder may view the issue and how best to manage it quite differently
For example, the local government may want to commercially develop some derelict land for economic purposes, while residents might want affordable housing
Each stakeholder will have their own:
Particular view of what represents success and failure
Set of criteria for assessing whether an issue is managed successfully or not
A stakeholder’s lived experience of a place can affect their judgement on whether strategies have successfully managed the changes to the place, as well as the image of it
Stakeholders’ Views on Rural Living Spaces
Stakeholder | Viewpoint | Possible success measures |
|---|---|---|
National governments and planners | More likely to have a perceived sense of a rural place rather than a lived experience, so the needs of the local community might not be met Development plans will be carefully considered due to the government’s responsibility to protect rural areas for future generations (e.g. National Parks) They will be focused on their aspirations for the place and what they identify as particular challenges associated with a brighter future | The number of deprived households The unemployment rate Levels of internal and international migration to fill job vacancies |
Local governments | The long-term health of the local economy and the traditions and heritage of the area are more likely to be considered by members of the local government These members are more likely to have a lived experience of the place they work in | The number of deprived households The unemployment rate Visitor numbers Job creation numbers Census data IMD data trends |
Local residents | Residents may have a lengthy lived experience of a place, with multiple generations having lived there Some residents will welcome change, especially if they will benefit from it Some residents will not want the area to change, especially if it is not sympathetic to the character of the area Some long-term residents may seek continuity and may not appreciate in-migrants, who seek change | Improvements to the built environment e.g. the amount of open space The amount of affordable homes to rent The number of new job openings The price of housing relative to earnings Rising incomes Improved health and life expectancy Increased access to services |
Local businesses | Will encourage a scheme that will expand their market and customer base A new development will be viewed more positively if it involves the local business community in the decision-making process Local businesses may view a development project negatively if it increases competition in the area | Visitor numbers The extent of protected areas The profitability of farms Changes in profit Hiring rates of new employees Increased population, especially the young |
Migrants | Immigrants are willing to work for low wages in the agricultural sector and occupy poor quality housing, which does little to relieve rural areas suffering from deprivation | The amount of affordable homes to rent The number of new job openings |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Not all stakeholders are equal at resolving issues and managing change within rural living spaces. Generally, national or local governments will have the power and resources to implement management plans. Local businesses and residents might be consulted about their views on the plans, but not all these viewpoints will be considered.
When studying any issue, try to rank stakeholders according to the strength of their influence.
Worked Example
Assess why conflicts may occur between stakeholders involved in demographic and cultural change
[12 marks]
Points to include:
Ideas about stakeholders involved in demographic and cultural changes
Consider reasons for conflict between the stakeholders
Consider why the levels of power or influence vary between stakeholders, or why some are ‘winners’ and some ‘losers’
Frequent use of examples
There are different ways of approaching this question; answers could focus on:
Rural
Urban
Both
Answer:
Conflicts between stakeholders involved in demographic and cultural change can arise due to various reasons. Conflicts can occur due to a lack of political engagement and representation, ethnic tensions, inequality, and a lack of economic opportunity. For instance, not all people welcome a change in the diversity of communities, leading to ethnic tensions between long-term residents and recent in-migrants; this has been evident in Luton. Luton has experienced a rapid increase in immigration since 2011. At present, nearly 40% of Luton’s residents were born outside of the UK, which is one of the highest proportions of non-UK born residents (except for London). In 2016, news reports linked Luton to Islamic extremism by claiming the town had the second largest source of jihadists travelling to Syria in support of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). This led to increased incidents of Islamophobia by the English Defence League (EDL), a far-right Islamophobic organisation, based in Luton. The EDL has been accused of creating ethnic tension between the Muslim and non-Muslim communities.
Conflicts can also arise due to the different criteria used by stakeholders to assess the success of management plans. For example, the regeneration of a run-down council estate, like the Aylesbury Estate in South London, will involve various stakeholders (e.g. existing residents, local and national government, and property developers) with different success criteria. Current residents feel that their lived experience of a place is at risk from the regeneration as there is no guarantee that they will be allowed to stay, especially if the scheme attracts wealthier migrants. Residents of the 370 existing flats will be temporarily rehomed, but the rebuild will have fewer social rent homes and a 3-fold increase in the number of private homes. The property developer will be concerned with the amount of profit made when selling the new houses, whilst existing residents will care about the cost of the new housing and whether it is still affordable. The local government will be interested in the trends of deprivation, for example, a reduction in unemployment and crime. Overall, the current residents are the stakeholders more likely to lose out as they don’t have the financial means or power to affect the decisions of the local government or property developers.
Rural areas also experience conflicts between stakeholders, mainly due to the demographically diverse population. Rural areas can experience high levels of deprivation, leading to local governments promoting the area to tourists for economic purposes e.g. Ambleside in the Lake District. This can create a reduction in unemployment for the locals, however, these tourist-related jobs are often low-paid and seasonal. The conflict occurs when tourists begin to buy second homes in the area, increasing the average house prices and pricing out the locals. In 2022, the average house price in Ambleside was £512,733. The majority of sales in Ambleside were flats, selling for an average price of £372,120. Long-term residents (mainly young people) are more likely to leave the area and be replaced with short-term residents, changing the demographics of the population. The influence of stakeholders varies due to the inequality of power, for example, if locals object to the numbers of second homes in an area, there is little they can do.
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