At Action Hampshire we have a team of ‘Rural Housing Enablers’ who work with local authorities, Parish Councils, developers, housing providers and residents to support the building of affordable homes that are specifically for occupancy by local residents. Data from the 2022 Statistical Digest of Rural England shows that 9.7 million people live in rural areas, representing 17% of England’s population, however in Hampshire the rural population accounts for 25% of the counties residents, meaning that the need for homes in rural areas is much greater.
The English Housing Survey (EHS)
EHS is a national survey of people’s housing circumstances, efficiency and condition as well as their health, wellbeing and life satisfaction levels. Data from the latest survey, carried out in 2022-23 (see link to the report at the bottom) showed that:
- 3.5 million households (14%) in England lived in a home that did not meet the Decent Homes Standard
- 2.1 million households (9%) lived in a home with at least one Category 1 hazard
- 1 million households (4%) lived in a home with damp.
The survey identified that households living in rural areas (26%) were about twice as likely to be in a non-decent home than those living in urban areas (14%). Households living in poor-quality homes reported lower levels of life satisfaction, with the most significant difference being in homes where damp was present. Through our Rural Housing work, we are supporting rural communities to build quality, fit for purpose homes that will serve the local community for many years to come.
Many rural areas are seeing a reduction in community infrastructure such as shops, schools, public transport and medical provision.
This is likely linked with the fact that rural populations are older and homes being under occupied (more bedrooms than are needed by the household), meaning there are insufficient numbers of residents to sustain local services. By working with Action Hampshire, local communities can build small developments of new homes which will allow those who have grown up in the area to stay by moving in to a new home they can afford, for others who have moved away to return with their young families or allow those in homes that are too large to downsize without leaving the community they love.
This small increase in households and diversity of ages in turn helps to revitalise the local economy with each development of just ten Rural Affordable Homes estimated to boost the local economy by £1.4 million, 26 jobs are supported (e.g. homes for local teachers/doctors/shop workers), and £250,000 in government revenue is generated. This means that these small developments benefit the whole community, whether that be providing a new home for them directly, a home for the primary school teachers or families with young children, resulting in the school becoming more viable and having a knock on effect of the viability of the local bus route, shop or doctors surgery.
Homes and health
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recognise that there is a clear correlation between an individual’s living situation and their health and that poor quality homes can lead or contribute to significant health concerns. Damp, an unfortunately common issue in UK homes, is especially noted for its impact on people’s health, with worse outcomes for children and older people, and those with existing health conditions. According to guidance issued by the UK government in 2019 approximately 5,000 cases of asthma and 8,500 lower respiratory infections were estimated to be associated with living in homes with damp and/or mould in England, these numbers are likely under estimated and could be as much as three times higher.
Have your say!…
As part of Action Hampshire’s wider commitment to improving the lives of Hampshire residents, we are partnering with Healthwatch Hampshire to gather feedback from people across the county about their experiences of health and social care. Experiences of rural communities are underrepresented in health care feedback, and we want to ensure that all voices are heard. By providing feedback Healthwatch Hampshire can provide health and social care decision makers with an oversite of where there is a need for new services or improvements, they can track trends and advise on where initiatives would have the most impact.
We want to hear about the pharmacy you use, any specialists you’ve interacted with, if you’ve struggled to find a dentist, what happened when you called 111 or experiences with care providers. You might have had issues with access to services which could be due to distance, reduction in services, booking systems or bus routes – we want to hear about it all.
Prize draw
Anyone who submits feedback about their experiences of health or social care in Hampshire by Thursday 31 July, 2025 has the opportunity to be entered into our free Summer Prize Draw to win one of three £25 ‘One 4 All’ gift cards.
Follow the link here to submit your feedback
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Other links you might be interested in
- 2022 Statistical Digest of Rural England
- English Housing Survey 2022 to 2023: housing quality and condition
- Official Statistics – Rural population and migration
- The socio-economic impact of investing in affordable rural homes
- Housing impacts health: new WHO guidelines on housing and health
- Guidance – Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home
