Rocketing house prices lead to rural exodus among thritysomethings
THIRTYSOMETHINGS are abandoning the countryside in the West Midlands because they cannot afford to live there, a new study has claimed.
The National Housing Federation said a stark demographic shift was occurring in the region as house prices had nearly doubled in rural areas.
New figures from the federation show the number of people aged 30-44 living in the region’s rural areas has dropped by over 10% over the last decade.
The analysis also showed that:
• The number of children under 10 in rural areas of the West Midlands has fallen by more than 5%, while numbers have risen by nearly 5% elsewhere.
• Overall, there are 3% fewer under-45s in rural areas in the West Midlands but 4% more under-45s in urban areas.
• The number of over-65s in rural areas in the West Midlands has risen 2.6 times faster than in towns and cities (25% rise in rural areas compared to 9% rise in towns and cities).
Alongside this demographic shift, house prices have soared in rural communities. In rural parts of the West Midlands, the federation said house prices had risen by 77% in the space of 10 years, up from £120,980 to £213,859. However, wages have not kept pace. For every £1 increase in non-rural wages over the last five years, rural wages rose by just 86p.
All but one (Lichfield) of the rural local authority areas across the West Midlands has seen a decrease in the number of under 45s over the last 10 years.
| Local Authority | House Prices | Under 45s | ||
| 2001 | 2011 | % Rise | % Rise | |
| North Warwickshire | £91,554 | £163,036 | 78% | -9% |
| Wychavon | £139,076 | £239,716 | 72% | -8% |
| Malvern Hills | £141,075 | £242,416 | 72% | -7% |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | £80,681 | £156,304 | 94% | -7% |
| Herefordshire | £115,652 | £216,590 | 87% | -3% |
| Stratford-on-Avon | £171,379 | £275,762 | 61% | -2% |
| Shropshire | £105,987 | £203,887 | 92% | -1% |
| Lichfield | £122,432 | £213,162 | 74% | 0% |
Elizabeth Humphreys, West Midlands Lead Manager for the National Housing Federation, said: “Young people are being priced out of the rural West Midlands by rising housing costs and are moving elsewhere to raise their families.
“What will happen to the local shops and pubs, the village school, the small businesses that maintain rural economies, if there’s no-one left to keep them open?
“If we don’t start building more homes that ordinary families can afford, our treasured countryside will become the preserve of the old and wealthy.”
