A press release from the National Housing Federation this week shows that increasing numbers of older people present a much more serious challenge for rural communities than for other areas of the country. The NHF states that the number of pensioners living in rural areas of the country will increase by nearly a million over the next ten years to 3,200,000. By 2020, pensioners will make up 24% of the rural popluation, nearly one in three of whom will be living alone (compared with 1 in 4 at present). The NHF - the representative body for the country's Housing Associations - says: we must ensure that enough affordable homes are built for younger people on modest wages, so that they can continue to work in and support key services like shops, public transport and care and support services. This is a particular issue for Brading. Latest government figures (June 2008) show that 650 of Brading's population of 2,095 are of pension age. At 31%, this is already well in advance of the predicted national rural population figure of 24% - for 2020!. And the trend here is accelerating: the percentage of Brading's population of pension age has increased since 2000 by three times the national rate. |