Originally published in 1979, this book discusses the problem faced by planners, county councils, transport, health and education authorities as well as the inhabitants of rural Britain, of the inaccessibility of many areas of the UK. For certain sections of society such as the less well-off, children and teenagers and the elderly the impact is felt most strongly when local shops, schools and medical services are withdrawn in favour of larger units in distant towns. The book reviews the process of decline which led to this situation and considers the concept of accessibility to show how it can be developed into an analytical tool for measuring the success or failure of alternative policies. Each policy option is discussed in detail: the support of conventional bus or other transport services; the provision of mobile services; ‘mini-outlet’ policies and the long-term restructuring of the rural settlement pattern.

This book has been developed from a report of the cross-national PRIDE (Partnerships for Rural Integrated Development in Europe) research project. The research focused on the public and private sector rural development experience of six member states of the European Union, namely Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK.