Rural housing: challenges, opportunities and solutions

This research examines the wider role and impact of housing in rural England. It is well known that housing not only provides bricks and mortar, but it can create cohesive communities where different social groups can thrive. As the OECD argues, appropriate housing influences labor mobility, education, and housing prospects. Where we live matters. Many young people and people working in the local economy, including essential workers, cannot afford to live where they have grown up or where they work. This is reducing social diversity and also contributing to an aging population in rural England.

Housing needs are localized and, as such, housing solutions need to be tailored to those local needs. In some such places, community-led solutions can be very effective. However, the government also has a central and strategic role in stimulating access to land for affordable housing. Such actions involve the planning and tax systems. Creating the conditions that will allow for a mix of housing solutions within any given locality will contribute to a vibrant and sustainable rural economy.

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