News Insight: Warwick -- rural life is not always idyllic

The four main candidates standing in Warwick and Leamington have all held positions of responsibility in the service of children and young people. This makes the Midlands constituency better placed than most for action on the issues affecting younger residents.

A constituency of contrasts, it has some pockets of deprivation alongside the leafier, affluent urban areas and scenic villages. It is also a key election battleground.

With Labour holding a slender majority of 266 from the 2005 election, the seat is firmly in Conservative sights and one they simply must win if they have any hope of forming the next government.

Tory candidate Chris White is a school governor and trustee of the Warwickshire Association of Youth Clubs. He says that, although the economy is the main issue on people's minds as he knocks on doors around the constituency, there are social issues that need to be addressed in some areas.

Support for families

"It is quite a diverse constituency," White says. "It is not all leafy, wonderful and lovely. There are some areas that are quite challenging."

To this end, White backs the provision of Sure Start children's centres in the area, rejecting suggestions his party will cut the service.

However, he stresses they must be in the right locations to attract those at most need of the service.

"This is a very good scheme to help people who don't have all the necessary advantages in life," he says. "They need a hand and the early intervention hand is probably the best hand you can give."

It is the future of Sure Start under a possible Tory government that White's Labour rival, James Plaskitt, has been focusing on and is keen to exploit.

Plaskitt, who worked as a teacher in Oxford and London before entering politics, says on his website that children's services in the community have prospered under a Labour government. "All children deserve the best possible start in life, and the early years are crucial," writes Plaskitt. "That's why I have voted to extend nursery education for twoand three-year-olds and it's great to see that expansion happening in our own community.

"I am also impressed with the great work our seven local children's centres are doing. I strongly oppose (David) Cameron's plans, which I believe would be harmful for families. He wants to restrict access to Children's Centres. He wants to scrap Children's Trust Funds and he wants a tax penalty for single parents. None of that sounds to me like supporting families."

The winning candidate on 6 May will have to address the needs of a diverse range of young people.

The National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC), which represents 10 clubs in Warwickshire and 319 10- to 26-year-olds, says there are some real issues for young people in rural areas.

These include difficulties in accessing broadband internet, infrequent transport links and a lack of affordable housing that can drive young people away from where they grew up.

Jodie Stirrup, youth development officer at NFYFC, says isolation and difficulties accessing services are problems faced by young people not living in urban areas.

"If they stay after school they have to find alternative ways to get home," she says. "If they don't have internet access, that can isolate them socially and can hamper them educationally.

"Rural services such as mobile rural units are the most expensive to provide because of the distances involved, so they are the first thing to be cut."

Sense of community

One area just outside Warwick with its own youth group is Hampton Magna. Budbrook Youth Group was set up by volunteers four years ago to provide young people in the area with an alternative to gathering in the streets.

Vanessa McBride, a local teacher who volunteers with the group, says: "We had some children getting into trouble because they had nothing to do but now that has all stopped.

"It is so important for these boys and girls to have somewhere to go and a sense of community."

However, maintaining the club is an ongoing issue. "We could do with more volunteers," says Catherine Wilkinson, who has helped with the group for three years.

The Conservatives plan to review vetting and barring procedures to make it easier for people to work with children in the future. But McBride does not believe that will make a difference in this instance.

"If you talk to people they are either very busy or have other commitments," Wilkinson adds.

Although the election in Warwick and Leamington appears to be a two-horse race between Labour and the Conservatives, given recent ratings boosts for Nick Clegg, the Lib Dems could play their part as well.

They finished in third place on 8,119 votes, trailing the other two parties by around 14,000 at the last election, but their candidate, Alan Beddow, a governor of a local school catering for children with special needs, will be hoping he can improve on that position. "I want to make sure our children get the best start in life so they can continue to enjoy living here," he says.

The Green Party is also contesting the area, with its candidate Ian Davison - who has worked as a secondary school teacher in the past - saying he wants to promote green manufacturing, keep local post offices open, encourage local councils to buy local and reduce traffic by putting shops and offices near homes.

Next week the Election 2010 Bus travels to Morley and Outwood, the West Yorkshire seat being contested by Children's Secretary Ed Balls

CHALLENGES IN WARWICK AND LEAMINGTON

Rural issues

Young people experience isolation due to difficulties in accessing the internet and the infrequency of public transport

Maintaining community-run groups

There is a need in the area for youth groups run by members of the community. But attracting volunteers to keep them going can prove problematic

Pockets of deprivation

Children and young people growing up in the poorest parts of the constituency need more access to the right kind of help and services.

2005 GENERAL ELECTION RESULT

Warwick and Leamington Labour majority 266

Labour James Plaskitt: 22,238

Conservative Chris White: 21,972

Liberal Democrat Linda Forbes: 8,119

Green Ian Davison: 1,534

UKIP Greville Warwick: 921