Annual Rural Report 2004
Looking forward: anticipating the challenge
Whilst we are pleased to be able to report positively on how the Executive and its agencies are delivering benefits to the people of rural Scotland, we are also very much aware of the real challenges that are facing us in the medium to long term. Many of these are illustrated by the facts and figures which follow.
The challenge of demography is not a rural problem alone, but population trends for places such as the Western Isles and Orkney (each predicted to see a drop in population of more than 10%) do present some stark messages. Notable too, is the age distribution of population in rural areas.
Compared to the rest of Scotland, rural areas have a significantly lower proportion of 15-30 year olds; and a greater aging population, with a higher proportion of 50-64 year olds. The difference is particularly prominent between the rest of Scotland and remote rural areas.
These population figures reflect life-cycle changes, with younger people moving away to work or study and older people returning to work or retire. The graph shows that populations of all geographic locations are ageing. This trend is particularly true for remote rural areas.
Such evidence has implications for how we deliver key services in rural Scotland. In some areas, the provision of health, social care, and education will become increasingly difficult, with a real risk of a vicious circle developing. Lack of services puts families off living in rural areas; lack of families, makes the delivery of high quality services inefficient.
Demographic change also has implications for the rural economy. Whilst there have been many success stories in recent years, some areas face tough challenges. There will be a premium on issues such as ensuring the right infrastructure is in place, providing effective advice and other support to businesses, ensuring people have the skills and experience they need and above all instilling a sense in our rural areas that success is indeed possible.
Addressing these challenges does not happen overnight. However, this report has shown some of the innovative solutions that we and others are trying out. Rural Scotland is not homogeneous. There is no one template that will fit the needs of all our rural communities. By working together, at both the national and local level, we must find ways of facing the challenges head-on. National strategies to tackle depopulation, such as Fresh Talent, and to tackle disadvantage, such as Closing the Opportunity Gap, will acknowledge the rural dimension to the outcomes they are trying to achieve. Community Planning at the local level offers great potential to identify and deliver local solutions, drawing on the ingenuity and resilience of local rural people.
We do not take lightly our commitment to maintaining strong, prosperous and growing communities. We know there is no quick fix, but we are working hard on finding solutions that are sustainable now and for future generations.
