Are villages a luxury we can't afford ?

Recently there have been a spate of stories about villages losing services such as the closure of banks, Post Offices, pubs, shops, bus routes and even fire stations. The reason is usually that the cost of maintaining those amenities isn’t justified by the relatively small number of users – a pretty standard business response.

People are generally advised to go on line or to conduct their transactions in city centres, where much larger populations warrant the existence of a wide range of services. At first sight that makes a lot of sense and there’s a strong case for sustainable urban living, where work and residential space exists near leisure facilities and good public transport links make getting around a doddle.

But there would be a real cost to the wider community if the villages of Bath and North East Somerset became nothing more than dormitories or mini theme parks providing a taste of the countryside for weekend visitors.

The strength of our local economy lies in the unique combination of business activity in Bath, the main engine, allied to that of our market towns, supported by a strong rural economy which contributes significantly to the whole.

There are many advantages to having thriving villages, far beyond the preservation of the country’s historic fabric. For example, flexible working practices have become the norm, so commuting is reduced on the days people are working from home, providing broadband connectivity allows it. In places like the Chew Valley there are a wide variety of small businesses providing goods and services for customers who don’t have to travel miles to find what they want. Crucially they also offer employment opportunities which gives young people the chance to stay to bring up their own families in the place they have known all their lives.

Small rural business parks have sprung up and been exceptionally popular for businesses who want an alternative to a city or town centre site. They help to spread economic activity over a much wider area and do a lot to help the health of the district as a whole.

So I would make the case that far from being a luxury, our villages are an essential element in making Bath and North East Somerset such a special place and if we lose them we’ll all be much the poorer.