Rural counties like Cumbria have a bright future, according to a report released today by one of the UK’s leading Altnet brands, Fibrus.
‘The Future of Rural Communities’ report challenges long-held assumptions about rural decline and highlights the potential of rural communities as engines of growth.
Authored by Tom Cheesewright, an applied futurologist, the report uses scenario planning and the latest data predictions to look ahead to 2050.
It expects the trend towards working from home (supported by advanced digital infrastructure, faster and more reliable full fibre broadband, and AI) to boost rural areas, as hard-pressed professionals and creatives quit congested cities for a better quality of life.
It also forecasts that areas like the Lake District will see a rise in visitor numbers as extreme temperatures, driven by climate change, prompt visitors to shun holiday hotspots such Greece and Spain in favour of cooler destinations.
And the report predicts that Cumbria and other rural counties will form the backbone of the UK’s energy and food security needs with seamless integration of renewable energy, automation and agri-tech innovation, underpinned by reliable and high quality digital infrastructure .
Author Tom Cheesewright said: “Many would be surprised at the extent to which the UK’s rural communities are already engines of growth. Even more would be surprised at their potential by 2050.
With this report, we hope to inform and inspire, increasing the chance of these positive futures becoming
reality.”
The report concludes that, with targeted investment, particularly in digital connectivity and infrastructure, rural communities can help to address the nation’s biggest challenges, from demographic change to climate resilience. Some of the trends identified are already in evidence.
Gill Haigh, managing director of Cumbria Tourism, said: “Climate change is likely to increasingly impact the choices people make for holiday destinations. You already hear many people talking about being ‘too hot’ on their summer holidays and we need to be ready to respond to that trend by growing awareness and enhancing the value of Cumbria’s tourism.”
“The report rightly highlights how we need to expand tourism facilities, including being open to the positive impact technology can make to the tourism experience and having good digital connectivity for all our rural communities is essential if we are to be able to do this.”
Similarly, Matthew Walton, a Fibrus customer who works as a self-employed agricultural contractor, says the sector is readily embracing technology. Matthew, 35, from Southwaite near Carlisle, explained:
“Technology has made things more efficient. The tractor I use is fully sat-nav and steers itself down
the field. There are automatic feeding systems for cows and automated slurry scraping systems. Everyone’s going down the automated route. You either go with it or get left behind.”
The report predicts that robots will carry out routine farming tasks such as crop-picking while farmers will deploy AI to analyse and track livestock health, soil conditions and plant growth. The tourism sector will also harness this technology deploying AI-powered translators and 3D avatar tour guides.
Contrary to commonly held misconceptions, rural communities are not shrinking but thriving with higher employment rates than urban areas and nearly a quarter of all UK businesses already headquartered in rural locations.
In Westmorland and Furness, for example, only 1.8 per cent of the workforce are claiming out-of-work benefits. The national average is 4.0 per cent.
Fibrus, established in 2020, is a vocal advocate of rural community growth. The company is delivering Hyperfast GB in Cumbria, part of a national £5bn government programme to bring full-fibre broadband to hard-to-reach communities not served by commercial providers. It recently completed a £200million government-backed infrastructure project in Northern Ireland.
More recently, Fibrus has been lobbying Ofcom to review the cost to network providers for expanding networks in rural areas, which would help bring much needed infrastructure to areas that remain without.
Dominic Kearns, CEO and Co-Founder, Fibrus, said : “At Fibrus we set out to transform connectivity in rural areas, bringing them out of the digital dark ages and into a future of high-speed, reliable broadband.
“This report reinforces our commitment to those communities, highlighting their immense potential and the vital role they play in the UK’s growth.”
“Too often, the UK’s urban areas and capital cities dominate when it comes to policy, pounds and progress, yet we have seen first-hand the level of entrepreneurship and agricultural best practice that is powering the nation from a grassroots level through improved digital access.
“We will not stop championing rural communities and driving progress until every home and business is truly connected.”
