Rural areas like Shropshire risk being “forgotten” as the Government “dismantles” support agencies and slashes budgets, a leading rural campaigner claimed today.

Andy Boddington, chairman of the Campaign to Protect Rural England in Shropshire, made the comments as the Commission for Rural Communities today released its State of the Countryside report.

It focuses on a variety of issues including the number of services lost and gained in rural areas in the last 12 months, current wages and population changes.

The report shows a fall in the number of several types of services over the last 12 months but gains in a number of others and highlights a number of key issues which need to be tackled.

Mr Boddington said: “The countryside has a wide range of roles. We use it to grow our food. We visit it as a place to enjoy its beauty and tranquillity. Our hills and valleys are a growing source of renewable energy. Their peat bogs and mosses lock in carbon that would otherwise accelerate global warming.

Slashes

“But most importantly people live and work in the countryside and there is a great danger they will be forgotten as the government dismantles support agencies and slashes budgets.”

He said affordable housing was also still the most “pressing” issue in the countryside but people were “wondering how many affordable houses will be built in this era of deep public expenditure cuts”.

Nicola Lloyd, executive director at the CRC, today said generally the Shropshire statistics were very similar to the national picture.

She said the impact of the recent emergency budget announcement and public sector cuts on rural areas needed to be made clear when decisions were made .

She said: “The main issue as far as we’re concerned is that people are aware of what the rural impact will be. When changes and cuts have to be made, it’s important these aren’t disproportionately put on rural people.

“Communities can take action on rural services but they need the support to do that. People also need to use their local services otherwise it’s a lot easier for them to be closed down.”

Some of the key changes

There are:

• 60 fewer pubs and restaurants in Shropshire in 2010 compared with 2009, and 29 fewer in Telford & Wrekin.

• Three more supermarkets in Shropshire and two fewer in Telford & Wrekin in 2010 compared with 2009.

• 14 more convenience stores in Shropshire and four more in Telford & Wrekin in 2010 compared with 2009.

• 260 extra cashpoints in Shropshire and 149 more in Telford & Wrekin in 2010 compared with 2009.

• 12 fewer petrol stations in Shropshire and two fewer in Telford & Wrekin in 2010 compared with 2009.

• One less bank or building society in Shropshire in 2010 compared with 2009 and two fewer in Telford & Wrekin.

• Two more dentists and one more post office in Shropshire in 2010 compared with 2009. No change on either in Telford & Wrekin.

• 65.6 per cent of people in Shropshire are within 4km of a bank or building society, compared with 96.1 per cent in Telford & Wrekin.

• 81.1 per cent of people in Shropshire and 92.1 per cent in Telford & Wrekin are within 2km of a post office.

• 58.8 per cent of people in Shropshire and 87.8 per cent of people in Telford & Wrekin are within 8km of a hospital.

• £29,480 is the average median household income in Shropshire in 2010, while in Telford & Wrekin it is £29,230.

• £24,677 was the average wage for somebody living in Shropshire in 2009, compared with £20,470 for somebody working in the county. This figure was £22,472 for a resident in Telford & Wrekin and £22,709 for somebody working in the borough.

By John Kirk