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Rural Communities (Recession)

I apologise for not being in the Chamber at the beginning of the debate, but I was chairing a Statutory Instrument Committee. Fortunately, however, I arrived to hear my hon. Friend the Member for Arundel and South Downs (Nick Herbert) speak eloquently about the problems faced by rural communities. It is a great pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for North Dorset (Mr. Walter), who articulated the problems of large rural constituencies extremely well. I have the same problem in my constituency, which, for the record, is approximately 1,200 square miles. It contains 47 villages and five towns, with quite a disparate community spread out between Thetford forest and the fenlands. As such, those who live in my constituency feel that the Government's one-size-fits-all urban agenda of the past few years is just not for them. They feel that they are not listened to. However, also for the record, the results of the local elections in Norfolk last week spoke volumes about how people feel that the Conservative party in Norfolk represents and can articulate their point of view. It is a great pity that the Government have not woken up to the challenges that Norfolk faces in the current climate. The number of JSA claimants in my constituency has increased by 92 per cent. in the Breckland area and by 82 per cent. in the King's Lynn and west Norfolk area. They are shocking figures. We have cited various figures this evening and asked the Government to look into what is happening. However, the truth is that the evidence shows not just that local people are disheartened, but that they are losing their jobs and cannot cope. The demand in rural areas for financial services such as debt advice far outstrips supply. For someone who has lost their job and cannot cope, that is a profound thing to deal with. In a large rural area, it is difficult for someone to access the services that they might get in an urban area. The Government need to consider that very carefully. I have had dealings with the Minister over the years, and he is a reasonable man, but does he accept that that combination is particularly worrying for people living in constituencies such as mine? For many people in South-West Norfolk who have lost their jobs or whose jobs are under threat, the internet, which colleagues have already spoken about this evening, is a vital tool for accessing banking and financial services. However, in some rural areas broadband access is still well behind that in other parts of the country—I stick my hand up and say that Norfolk is no exception. I ask the Government: what is being done to ensure that the countryside has adequate access to broadband? I am not sure that the assistance the Minister spoke about earlier is enough, either in how it is applied or how much money is being put in, to alleviate the problems in constituencies such as mine. I ask him to look at that carefully, and I would be very grateful if he came back to me about the issue in my constituency. It is vital that those living in rural areas should feel able to live and work in an area that is equal to other areas in terms of help and access to services. For too long, Norfolk has played second fiddle to other parts of the country. For too long, constituents of mine have felt like second-class citizens. That is a great shame. For too long, Norfolk, and in particular Thetford in my constituency, has been seen by many people in the House as a problem, rather than as the opportunity that it is and always will be, because of the people of Norfolk's dedication and their desire to get on, make a contribution and live in vibrant communities in the areas where they work. That desire has always been there and it always will be there, but the area needs a lot of help from the Government. The current imbalance has not gone unnoticed by the Commission for Rural Communities. A recent CRC report states:""Some rural local authorities and Job Centre Plus offices are struggling to…support their unemployed because of distances to training and support centres and the lower numbers involved."" Does the Minister agree that those in rural areas are suffering particularly as a result of the economic crisis, and because we have an extremely poor public transport system? The problem is acute in South-West Norfolk. Bus operators have to try to work across a large, disparate county, and a lot of people obviously encounter long distances between villages and towns. When someone is on a fixed income or has no income, things are made even more difficult when they have to go so much further than their cousins, brothers, sisters or other family members who live elsewhere. We have also seen the closure of local jobcentres. How can closing the focal point for retraining and getting back into the work force help rural communities to survive? I am afraid that that speaks volumes about the Government's attitude towards constituents such as mine. We also have deprivation in Norfolk—social, economic and geographical. We have vast amounts of fenland, which needs not only to be policed but looked after in terms of the Government's commitment. What advice would the Minister give to people in the 1,200 square miles that I represent? It is terribly important for me that I be able to return with a positive message, which I hope my hon. Friend the Member for South-East Cambridgeshire (Mr. Paice) can give me from the Opposition Front Bench, even if the Government cannot. I have received many letters from constituents who have lost their jobs and are desperate to retrain. However, they are prevented from taking up full-time courses for up to 18 months. Therefore, they live in communities that do not have services, in areas that do not have adequate public transport systems. They want desperately to get out there and get a job, but every time they take one step forward, they take two steps back. That is killing our communities and killing a lot of people's will to get back into the work force, which we desperately need them to do if enterprise and initiative are again to be the backbone of our economic success. Does the Minister accept that many people in rural areas who have lost their jobs and who want to reskill are penalised twofold, owing to Government-imposed restrictions and the long distances to training centres, coupled with poor public transport? I want to talk briefly about small businesses, which are an enormously important source of employment in our communities. I have already mentioned Thetford, where small businesses have been hit particularly hard. We have a first-class manufacturing base and a need for apprenticeships. We also have a need for investment in Thetford. We have growth point status, so we are getting the houses, but we need the infrastructure that goes with them and—dare I say it?—the roads infrastructure. Let us not forget that Norfolk is the only county in England without a dual carriageway linking it to a national trunk road network. Although there have been good indications from various Ministers that such a scheme will be unlocked, Norfolk has for too long been unable to play its true part in the economic success of our nation. Every time we go forward, another barrier is put in the way to prevent us from making the contribution that most, if not all, of my constituents desperately want to make, for their own well-being and for that of the nation. We have high transport costs and—dare I say it?—high energy costs. The price of fuel in rural areas is disproportionate, because vehicle use in those areas is a necessity, not a luxury. People, such as pensioners, on fixed incomes and farmers are unable to cope. I regret to say that the Government have adopted a one-size-fits-all urban agenda, and it just does not work. In Norfolk, that agenda also applies to local government reorganisation. To suggest that what someone in the middle of Norwich needs is the same as what people in the fenlands need is a complete insult to the people in my constituency. Their aspirations might be the same, but their needs are different and they need to be treated with individual care and respect. They also need to know that someone is going to look out for them, and if this Government will not do so, the next one will.