CONCERNS about the number of young people leaving the rural areas of North Yorkshire, including Ryedale, are to be investigated by the County Council.

A motion approved by the authority says there is an increasingly worrying outflow of the younger generation from the rural and deeply rural areas of the county, the biggest in England. It was feared that if not arrested it would result in failing communities over the next two generations.

Support for the worries has come from The Chairman of Ryedale District Council, Councillor Luke Ives - at 23 the youngest senior local authority chairman in the country - who said this week : "I find it a pity that since leaving school many of my friends have been forced to move out of the area in order to gain access to better paid jobs and affordable housing.

"This long term trend is deeply disturbing as it hinders the ability of our businesses to expand locally and distorts the social fabric of our society.

"This affects everyone, we we must do more for younger people if North Yorkshire is to have a successful economic future. Promoting skilled apprenticeships, building more inexpensive local housing and creating good transport links are just some of the ways we can achieve this."

The county council was told at its meeting that numbers on rol of many primary schools in North Yorkshire's villages had declined over the past 15 years. The authority has been urged to its new Stronger Communities policy to influence economic and social well-being in the county.