This research was funded by the Commission for Rural Communities in order to improve understanding of likely future changes in housing markets in rural areas in England in the wider context of changing housing market pressures and government policies on affordable housing and Housing Benefit. It aimed to provide up-to-date evidence to enable CRC, Defra and other government agencies to influence housing policy at national and local levels and ensure that these policies are rural-proofed.
The research therefore has the following objectives:
To develop a new understanding of:
1. The changing levels of rents (both private and social) and the quality and location of available housing.
2. The impact of recent and forthcoming government policies on social and private tenants, including the changes to Housing Benefit and the overall benefit caps.
3. Migration: The numbers of people forced to relocate from rural areas, or unable to live where they would choose to do so
The research aimed to explore differences between rural areas, as well as between rural and urban areas overall.
