Country living 'more expensive'

Living in the countryside costs £60 a week more than in towns and cities, a report has found, reported The BBC.

The Commission for Rural Communities study showed rural households spend an average of almost £480 weekly.

The report also found the overseas migrant workforce in rural England had more than trebled in three years, putting major pressure on services.

The study said the rural population is both older and ageing faster than the urban population. The report found the average weekly disposable income in the countryside was £522 and outgoings were £479.70. In urban areas the figures were £476 and £419.50.

Country dwellers were spending more on items such as food and non-alcoholic drinks, household goods and services, transport, and recreation and culture.

The number of non-UK migrant workers in rural areas rose by 209% from 20,970 in 2003 to 64,870 in 2006. The increase in Herefordshire was 933%.

Commission for Rural Communities chairman Dr Stuart Burgess said: "The sheer scale and speed of immigration has put a big strain on rural local authorities, both in their ability to provide services and ensure that new migrants are successfully integrated into their host communities."

Between 2001 and 2004 the average age increased from 42.2 to 43.6 in rural areas and from 36.9 to 38.0 in urban areas.

Dr Burgess said the ageing population was putting a strain on the viability of rural services, such as schools, youth services, healthcare and housing.

The 2007 State of the Countryside report found:

There are now almost 400,000 fewer people aged between 15 and 29 in rural areas than there were 20 years ago

Due to the changing climate there are now nearly 400 vineyards in England and Wales

Almost 233,000 people live in an area without a Post Office within 1.25 miles (2km) or a bank, building society or cash machine within 2.5 miles (4km)

Employment rates are higher in rural areas - 78%, compared with 74% in urban areas

The average rural house price of £240,222 was 22.1% higher than the average urban house price of £196,700 in 2006.

Ken Roy, a director at the commission, told BBC News that the cost of housing was a big issue.

He said: "If you live in a small place then houses are more expensive and less affordable.

"If you're out on the periphery, Northumberland and Cumbria, then the affordability is so much worse, because your income is so much lower."

Rural areas have higher average incomes than urban areas but 928,000 people - 32% of all rural households - had a household income of less than £16,500 a year.

The commission was set up last year to advise the government on the needs of rural England.