Rural lives during COVID-19: crisis, resilience and redistributing societal risk

Figures & data

Figure 1. Map of the study areas.

Table 1. Additional descriptive information about the case study areas (key inclusive growth indicators).

	Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles)	Perth and Kinross	Scotland	Northumberland	England
Population 2018 (% change 2002-18)	26,600 (+0.8%)	153,800 (+13.8%)	-	321,600 (+4.2%)	-
GVA per head (2016)	£17,276	£25,765	£24,800	£16,140	£27,108
Employment rate (16-64) (2018)	80.4%	80.9%	77.4%	71.5%	76.3%
Gross weekly pay (full-time workers, 2019)	£519.30	£566.40	£578.30	£490.60	£587.50 (GB)
Percentage of households that are fuel poor (required fuel costs >10% of income, 2019)	40%	25%	24%	14.1%	13.4%
Percentage of households classed as workless (2019)	14.7%	12%	17.7%	19.7%	13.9% (GB)
Claimant count (Feb 2020 – before lockdown)	465 (3%)	1,865 (2%)	3.3%	6,665 (3.5%)	3.0% (GB)
Proportion of addresses where superfast broadband is not available (2023)^1	29.2% (of rural addresses)	29.8% (of rural addresses)	6.3%	12.1%	4.1%

¹ Broadband data relates to UK constituencies (Na h-Eileanan Siar, Perth and North Perthshire, Hexham). Sources: ONS NOMIS regional labour market profiles (population, employment, pay and claimant data); Energy Action Scotland (fuel poverty data, Scotland); UK Government sub-regional poverty data (fuel poverty data, England); UK Parliament House of Commons Library, based on Ofcom data (superfast broadband data by constituency).

Table 2. Descriptive information about the focus groups.

	Focus group	Number of participants and gender (M/F)	Types of organisations (private, public or VCSE)	Main theme of discussion
East Perthshire	1	3 (3F)	3 VCSE	Poverty and welfare support
	2	2 (1M, 1F)	1 public, 1 VCSE	Health and social care
	3	3 (3F)	1 public, 2 VCSE	Role of third sector
Harris	1	3 (2M, 1F)	2 private, 1 VCSE	Business and tourism
	2	3 (2M, 1F)	3 VCSE	Community trusts
	3	1 (1M)	1 VCSE	Poverty and welfare support
North Tyne Valley	1	3 (3F)	1 public, 1 private, 1 VCSE	Poverty and welfare
	2	3 (3F)	3 public	Health and wellbeing
	3	3 (3M)	3 VCSE	Community trusts