ABSTRACT
Deprivation has become an over-used word and, although the recognition of a specifically rural aspect has come much later than its urban counterpart, deprivation in the countryside has been searched for with every bit as desperation and righteous polemic. This chapter focuses on deprivation and advantage as they can be seen to exist in rural housing. Deprivation undoubtedly exists in rural Britain and in main areas of incomes, social contacts and housing levels of deprivation and poverty are as significant as they are in the towns. Within the broader context of rural deprivation generally the elements of housing have been seen as an inevitable spin-off of the so-called rural deprivation cycle. The quality of housing is an area where deprivation can plainly be seen, although measures of quality are invariably phrased in terms of official standards. By most urban, particularly inner city, standards, there was relatively little housing deprivation in the study areas when judged by criteria of housing use.
