Devon County Council’s Cabinet is asked to consider the growing range of pressures that people in rural and coastal communities face every day.
It follows a Notice of Motion from Councillor Stuart Rogers BEM, local member for Ashburton & Buckfastleigh, highlighting the impact that rising living costs and declining local services are having on rural communities.
Councillor Rogers says residents in rural communities are travelling further for basic services, paying more for transport and heating, and struggling with poor public transport and unreliable digital connections.
He argues that when services such as banking, shopping, or healthcare disappear, they rarely return.
And that limited public transport in some areas leaves many residents reliant on their cars at a time when fuel and insurance costs are rising.
Heating costs, he says, are higher for households that rely on oil, LPG or solid fuel, all of which have seen steep price increases.
First raised at the council’s Full Council meeting in December, Councillor Roger’s report now asks the Council’s Cabinet to formally recognise the scale of the challenges and take practical action to support rural communities.
Councillor Stuart Rogers said:
“Rural Devon is under pressure like never before.
“Our communities are being hit from all sides, losing services, paying more for travel, and facing higher heating and living costs.
“These are not abstract problems; they shape people’s daily lives and it’s essential that Members confront this head on.
“My Notice of Motion calls for honest acknowledgement, real data, stronger lobbying and practical local action so that rural residents are not left behind or forgotten.”
Cabinet is being asked to agree that the Council resolves to:
• Acknowledge and formally declare that the cost of living crisis, and the reduction in key local services, disproportionately and severely affects Devon’s rural communities.
• Draw together and publish detailed data on the specific and measurable impacts of the cost of living crisis in rural Devon, including fuel poverty, transport costs and access to essential services.
• Lobby Government and business groups to recognise the unique pressures on rural areas and provide targeted funding to support rural households with energy and transport costs.
• Set up a series of rural pilot areas, bringing together local Members, officers, partners and the private sector, to explore and deliver innovative local solutions, such as:
– community run transport schemes
– strengthened community engagement
– rural outreach for services
– rural hubs using existing local buildings
– closer alignment with the wider local government family
– devolved service delivery
– shared delivery and outreach with partners
The Notice of Motion will be discussed at the council’s Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 17 February, County Hall, Exeter.
Speaking before the meeting, Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, said:
“I look forward to our Cabinet discussion about this next week and thank Councillor Rogers for bringing this matter forward.
“It’s true that rural communities face challenges that urban areas simply don’t.
“Delivering services in a county like Devon costs more. Distances are greater. Transport is harder. Digital connections are patchy. Yet none of this is reflected in the funding we receive from Government. It isn’t fair, and it leaves our rural residents at a disadvantage before they even start.
“A great deal of excellent work is already being done by Devon County Council’s officers, and for the first time ever, the council has specifically designated a cabinet member role with responsibility for Rural Affairs.
“I am constantly lobbying central government on this issue and am also part of Devon’s Rural Nested Deprivation Group, which was established in June last year.
“We know that deprivation in rural areas is often hidden, and we know that Government data which relies heavily on averages, can mask the true picture of rural poverty and exclusion.
“We are committed to developing a fuller, place based understanding of rurality in Devon.
“That means working collaboratively with partner organisations and communities to develop an action plan with the same aim and passion, to improve living standards and access to services for people across this large, predominantly rural county.
“We must constantly look through a rural lens. And in every decision that we make, we must ask the question: ‘What does this mean for our deprived rural areas?’”
