§ Dr. MurrisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of rural poverty in Wiltshire; and if she will make a statement. [104155]
§ Alun MichaelWe do not have data on rural poverty at the county level although local authorities may have undertaken work on poverty in their area. In England as a whole fewer rural households than urban households are below 60 per cent. of average household income which is accepted as a normal poverty indicator.
The average (median) income is approximately £18,000 per annum, so the 60 per cent. level is approximately £10,M0. Figure 1 compares urban and rural levels of income-poverty.
Figure 1. Households in income poverty Rural Urban Number of households 5,918,756 15,202,778 Household income less than 60 per cent. of the median 1,347,399 4,031,904 Total (percentage) 23.2 26.5 Source:
Countryside Agency, (2002) "The state of the countryside 2002", Countryside Agency, Cheltenham.
7WIn 2001, 1 per cent. of rural wards in the South West had an average household income of below £15,000 per year, compared with 7 per cent. of urban wards.
Figure 2. Average (mean) household income, 2001 Percentage of wards with household income: Less than £15,000 £15,000–£20,000 £20,000–£25,000 £25,000–£30,000 Above £30,000 South West Rural 1 27 39 24 8 Urban 7 42 33 12 5 All England Rural 2 20 29 27 22 Urban 9 28 26 19 18 Source:
Countryside Agency, (2002), "The state of the countryside 2002: South West", Countryside Agency, Cheltenham