The Bishop of Truro has welcomed a report challenging policy makers to properly understand the issues behind rural poverty and deprivation in Cornwall.

The Pretty Poverty Report which is a joint research project by the Diocese of Truro and Plymouth Marjon University, reveals how traditional measurement tools systematically underestimate disadvantage in rural communities.

Having responded to the Pretty Poverty Report, Rt Rev David Williams said: “The church here has always looked beyond the pretty views, and beyond our well-placed pride in Cornwall, and understood what lies deeper. That’s why the church is at the forefront of work through foodbanks, debt advice, crisis support, education, and a thousand other ways to be Good News for those most in need. I welcome this report, it will be a support for those who are committed to this work, and a challenge for leaders in every sector to look more deeply and act differently. The Gospels call us to be servants to those who are most in need, these findings help us to heed that call.”

The report identified six critical themes of rural deprivation including transport dependency in which rural residents face ‘systematic exclusion from employment, healthcare, and social opportunities without private transport.’

Other factors included housing displacement, with over 20,000 homes in Cornwall used as second homes and holiday lets; employment precarity and lack of access to healthcare and educational isolation. It also found community support networks were mitigating disadvantage but also potentially masked underlying needs from being recognised in policy.

Simon Cade, Diocese of Truro Diocesan Secretary, said: “Commissioning this work helps us to understand Cornwall. The report allowed people in communities that are often overlooked to be heard, and it helps to focus the attention of policy makers on change that grows from the grassroots. The report gives a voice to the experience shared by thousands of Cornish people, a voice that must be heard and acted on.”