JULIA PUTS RURAL POVERTY IN THE SPOTLIGHT

11.30.00am GMT Mon 9th Feb 2009

A special policy commission focusing on rural poverty in the South West has been established, after proposals put forward by Falmouth and Camborne MP Julia Goldsworthy were adopted last week.

The commission was launched at the Lib Dem South West regional conference, where campaigners from across the region gave their perspectives on the how the economic downturn was affecting people in their area.

Experts across the South West will take part, with policy proposals going forward to the Liberal Democrat conference this autumn.

A higher proportion of the South West's population live in rural areas than in any other part of England, and the region has one of the country's smallest economies. Full-time workers in the area take home £2,000 less than the national average wage and it is estimated that over 12% of households are living in 'fuel poverty'.

Commenting, Julia said:

"Deprivation in rural areas has been an unrecognised problem under consecutive Labour and Conservative governments. With uncertainty in the economy increasing, it's now more important than ever that tackling rural poverty becomes a priority.

"Without a range of measures to tackle the unique combination of difficulties that many local families face - high water bills, low wages and high housing costs, these problems will continue to worsen.

"This report will raise the profile of rural poverty, and make concrete proposals that will really make a difference at a local level."

Those wishing to submit evidence to the commission are invited to send their comments to info@juliagoldsworthy.org