Telegraph article cites Birkbeck research

• Middle Class Country Towns in England Hit Hardest by Recession

Research undertaken by the Rural Evidence Research Centre (RERC) at Birkbeck, University of London, shows that small country towns with large numbers of middle class managerial and other administrative workers have been hit hardest by the recession. Country towns in all parts of the country have been affected but rises in Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) Claimant Counts are most prominent in the South East, the South West, East Midlands and the East of England regions.

"Our research shows that the recession really began to hit country towns late last year," said Professor John Shepherd, Director of the RERC. "Between October 2008 and April 2009 we noted a rise in JSA Claimants in country towns of over 100,000. Furthermore, rural towns with young families and a high proportion of public service jobs have been particularly affected."

The research was cited in a Sunday Telegraph feature about the increasing number of shop closures on Britain's high streets.

Click here to read the article