The problem facing Davey, and everyone else trying to provide a Connexions service in rural areas, is that Connexions is not a transport operator. It's a provider of information advice and guidance.
Service support schemes, such as moped loans, can help if done properly.
But, generally, Connexions has to deliver in the face of the larger intractable problems facing rural areas.
One-fifth of England's population lives in rural areas, and contrary to any received image of elderly retirees and rural idyll, around a third are under 25. According to the Countryside Agency, 73 per cent of rural settlements (less than 3,000 people) have no youth groups or clubs, and more than 20 per cent of households are situated more than four kilometres from a secondary school. The unemployment rate for 18- to 24-year-olds is three times that of older workers and nearly one in four 19-year-olds fails to achieve a basic qualification (NVQ Level 1 or equivalent). Chuck in the lingering impact of foot-and-mouth disease, the difficulties of finding affordable housing and the continuing decline of traditional industries and it is clear that Connexions' rural agenda is every bit as challenging as its urban partnerships.
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