THE IDYLLIC image of North Yorkshire has been dealt a blow in a new report on the future of its population and hundreds of villages and market towns.

The report, produced by North Yorkshire County Council, outlines a social inclusion strategy for the next four years, and reveals that the current weekly wage in the county is £62 lower than the national average.

Bill Cross, the council's head of corporate policy, said in a report to the executive this week that the 2001 National Census revealed that in North Yorkshire there have been major changes in the age profile.

"Over 10 years there has been a marked decrease in the number of children aged 0-4 and adults between 20 and 39. However there has been a significant increase in the amount of people over the age of 65".

The combined result, said Mr Cross, is an ageing population and a decrease in the number of working age people.

"This will pose challenges for service delivery particularly as regards care for older people. The rural nature of North Yorkshire contributes and expounds these challenges".

Mr Cross said North Yorkshire's economy, including York, had a gross domestic product (GDP) of £8.79bn.

"There are approximately just over 200,000 jobs with around 270,000 economically active people. This indicates an outflow from North Yorkshire in employment terms, and could result in an increase of commuter villages."

The recent foot and mouth disease and BSE tragedies had hit the farming industry hard, resulting in people losing their jobs or receiving lower than average wages, Mr Cross' report states.

It adds that there are differences between urban and rural exclusion.

"In urban areas there is often high unemployment, while in rural areas such as North Yorkshire, employment is relatively high but much of it is low wage and seasonal. Distance, isolation and poor access to services can compound problems in rural areas."

Social exclusion, says the report, involves such issues as access to services, good education, employment, health, and overcoming geographical isolation, poverty and discrimination.

"North Yorkshire is viewed by many as an idyllic place to live. It has low crime, high employment and good educational standards in comparison with national averages."

But it adds that the county's size and population sparsity create specific problems leading to social exclusion. It says that Ryedale, Harrogate, Selby and Scarborough districts each exceeded the regional death rate for suicide, involving all age groups.

The council had drawn up a catalogue of priorities to build communities, provide inclusive education, tackle debt and welfare benefit and public transport.

Among its plans are to invest £5m in improving passenger transport in the county over the next two years, to meet the needs of socially and physically handicapped people in remote rural areas.

It hopes to increase the number of annual passenger journeys by bus by 10pc by 2006. Other priorities include improving after-school and out-of-school learning, youth achievement awards, supporting carers of old people and helping young people who have run away from home.

Access to services came out as the most frequent challenge to people in the county in a survey carried out among organisations.

Enhancing community facilities and economic development were also seen as key issues.