Three things to expect from the spending review: CPRE’s perspective

As the government prepares to unveil its latest spending review, rural communities across the countryside will be watching closely. From housing to transport and farming, decisions made this week will have long-lasting impacts in areas that often feel left behind.

One of the most pressing issues is rural affordable housing, the hidden crisis in the countryside which we exposed two years ago. We’re also watching closely to see what funding the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) receives in the review. This funding will be crucial in shaping rural development policy in the years ahead.

1. Big decisions on rural affordable housing

We’re hoping for good news on this front, particularly regarding the Affordable Housing Programme. This spending review is an opportunity for the government to back up its promises with funding, and the need is urgent and growing — a fact we’ve consistently campaigned on. We want to see an increased level of financial commitment in the Programme to address the rural housing crisis.

Across the country, rural towns and villages are facing soaring property prices, driven by second homes and a lack of new, genuinely affordable developments. Without proper funding and ambitious targets, social housing lists and rural homelessness will continue to grow, and ever more people will be priced out of the countryside.

2. More uncertainty for farmers

Unfortunately, not all the expectations are hopeful. Cuts to farming services appear likely, which would be a further blow to rural economies already grappling with uncertainty post-Brexit and the challenges of meeting environmental targets with fewer resources. Farmers need support and greater long-term certainty about this support to produce the food we need in a nature-friendly way.

3. Potential for investment in rural transport

Another area of growing concern is rural public transport, especially buses. According to a recent Guardian report, almost a fifth of England’s rural bus services have disappeared in the last five years (source). This decline isolates people without cars and makes it harder to access jobs, schools, and healthcare. Public transport keeps rural communities connected, and a thriving rural economy is dependent on that.

With our Every Village Every Hour campaign we called on the government to commit to ‘a reliable bus service for every community’. The Spending Review is a chance to show rural communities they matter — by reversing the cuts and investing in a transport system that connects, rather than divides.

Rural resilience needed

This spending review could either help build rural resilience or deepen the inequalities that already exist. On top of that, climate change remains the biggest threat facing the countryside, and as the Climate Change Committee (CCC) recently reported, the UK is unprepared for climate impacts. This review is an opportunity to tackle this urgent need with investment in climate adaptation and flood defences to help mitigate some of the risks climate change poses to food security, nature and the countryside.

The countryside can’t wait. We’ll keep pushing for the investment and action that rural communities so desperately need.