MAIN ISSUES

Socio-economic factors	Bentham is not a "tourist" town but a "working" town - a town to live in as part of a strong rural community. With its many old buildings it has a noticeable sense of place, a market town nestled in a rural landscape which dominates almost every view from the town. In recent years Bentham has attracted incomers as well as the return of people originating from the area and this has resulted in considerable new development, for the most part sensitively designed small infill developments. Since 1970 there has been a steady increase in the local population (currently about 3,200 in 2000), in the region of 10% per decade. The Local Plan has allocated a limited amount of new and "brownfield" land for further housing and it is anticipated that there will be a further but small increase in population as a result of this. Since many people have chosen to retire to enjoy its small town environment, the number of people over 75 years old, which is already above the regional average for local small market towns, is expected to increase, with consequent implications for local services. However, this is balanced by the fact that in recent years there has also been a noticeable increase in the number of people in the 30-44 age group, the result of families choosing to live where they can enjoy the special environmental qualities available in a small town surrounded by countryside. In 1991 just over 30% of all households had dependent children, a relatively high percentage for a rural town and double that of North Yorkshire as a whole. The employment levels in Bentham have improved in the last decade and there is now or a surprisingly high level of self-employment (24% compared with North Yorkshire's 15.6%). Over 36% of the employed people work in manufacturing while only 0.5 per cent are employed in agriculture, despite being surrounded by agricultural land. Most of the latter work their own farms with the aid of family members. The other main employers are the distribution/ hotels and restaurants sector, the financial sector, public administration and in particular the education sector (Bentham Grammar School is a private boarding school and a major local employer).
A view of the local landscape
The local economy	The Benthams lie in a farming area about half an hour's drive from Lancaster, which is the nearest town. As in many rural communities the local shops have suffered from the competition from the large supermarkets established in nearby towns. As a result there are only small stores locally for daily supplies and this causes problems for the older members of the community, as well as for those without their own transport. There are an increasing number of "service" shops (most recently for videos and I T). There is two manufacturers in the settlement, Cinder's Barbeques and Angus,making fire fighting equipment. Many people in the local community commute to work in nearby towns as there is little employment opportunity locally. The settlements include a wide range of housing types from large detached residences to small-scale houses and flats. There is still some local authority housing in the ownership of Craven District Council and also there are two housing associations providing housing for young families and elderly people. The railway was central to the life of the Benthams in the past and is expected to become increasing important in the future - a drawing by a child from the local Primary School produced as part of a celebration of the Lancaster - Leeds railway line.
Local Planning	Strategies to increase the prosperity of Bentham are being developed within the framework for economic development in North Yorkshire. As far as Bentham is concerned this means that Craven District Council, Yorkshire Forward, **North Yorkshire County Council, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and the Rural Development Commission (now part of Yorkshire Forward) and Countryside Agency are all involved in decisions which will determine its future. These bodies and the other local District Councils work together as the North Yorkshire Economic Development Forum. The aim is "to increase investment and to foster the growth of competitive businesses in an attempt to spread the benefits of economic success more widely". All development within Bentham is controlled by Craven District Council and by the requirements to implement the Local Plan (the most recent version of this was published in 1999). This plan has been designed to protect the countryside surrounding Bentham which has been categorised as of Special Landscape Quality. As a result any residential expansion has to take the form of infill or be in one of the two areas where residential development is permitted. This Local Plan recognises that there is a dearth of industrial/commercial land within the built up area and sees it as an issue which will need to be addressed in the near future if new industry is to be attracted into the town.