Wiltshire’s attractive market towns grew up to serve the surrounding farmers who once produced food for the local community. Nowadays farmers market their produce directly to food processors and big supermarkets. The narrow roads running through the town centres that were built for horses and carts, are now clogged with diesel cars and heavy goods vehicles heading for the nearest motorway, causing illegally high levels of air pollution.
Public transport is abysmal, with the few buses that are available, arriving too late to link commuters with neighbouring towns or the nearest railway stations (more than 7 miles away) in time for work. As a result young people are leaving the area as soon as they finish school, leading to a top heavy population pyramid, with a mushrooming ageing population. This is putting pressure on the health care system.
Some of those who are left behind can be found in hidden pockets of deprivation, because they depend on benefits or the minimum wages that are paid by local shops and care homes. If you cannot afford a car or are unable to drive, you face being separated from family and friends. It is no wonder that there is a loneliness problem in Britain.
Rural development policies are urgently needed to reduce the rate of urbanisation and re-balance the demography in the UK. However, it is extremely difficult for political parties, who are offering change, to canvas voters in extensive, rural constituencies at election times. So elderly people tend to go with the status quo and vote for conservative candidates in both local and national elections. Many of them also voted to leave the European Union. This means that the austerity that brought the swingeing cuts that disproportionately impact on public services in rural areas, are likely to continue for many years to come.
In 2015, the UK government signed up to all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Although many of these goals are relevant to rural development, the UK government seems to think that they only apply to developing countries! Goal 11 has three targets that are particularly relevant to English market towns:
- By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services...
- By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.
- By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
Unfortunately the UK Office for National Statistics has not yet developed the indicators that are needed to measure whether or not these targets are being achieved.
UK Office for National Statistics Sustainable Development Goals website
I have a decent pension and a house to sell so I am able to relocate to a city that has all the essential services that I will need as I grow older. Many people are not so lucky.
