Set within the Exe valley the rural parishes cover 353 square miles (914 square km), and include the built up areas of Silverton and Bampton as well as the larger rural isolated communities in between.

With a largely varied community of long standing Devon families working within the agricultural industries, that have evolved into families commuting into the surrounding towns and cities. Many of the villages have become a haven for retired people and with the economy at its present level, young families find it difficult to live within the community that they were brought up in. Many of the local industries have diversified into hubs for tourism and recreational pursuits. In addition to this each year there is an influx of tourists to our many sites of natural beauty.

Tiverton’s rural area is generally a safe place to live and has a below average crime rate. However the remote geographic area makes it vulnerable to travelling criminals who commit low level burglaries, theft and criminal damage. We also have small pockets of random anti-social behaviour, however this problem is often perceived to be greater than the actual figure.