RURAL local authorities are becoming more vulnerable, reveals a study.

At district level, coastal rural authorities have suffered particularly badly over the past year, according to the Rural Services Network.

Half of the 10 most vulnerable authorities are now both coastal and rural, found the network's 2012 Rural Vulnerability Index.

At first tier level, seven of the 24 rural authorities studied for the index are in the top 25% of all authorities including London Boroughs.

The most vulnerable is Northumberland which is the 16th most vulnerable authority in England in 2012, according to the index.

The Vulnerability Index was developed in response to the challenge of measuring the impact of the recession on local authority areas.

It was developed because traditional measures of need such as the Index of Multiple Deprivation concentrate on current circumstances.

Deep seated and long term changes are likely to change the current configuration of long term prosperity and sustainability in English communities, the network believes.

Because of this, the network identified a need to develop an index of vulnerability to change, to sit alongside more traditional measures of need.

The index identified vulnerability by looking at wage levels, public sector jobs, the number of Job Seekers Allowance claimants and the percentage of the population of working age.

An analysis of the vulnerability index findings can be found here.

A summary of the findings regarding notified vacancies can be downloaded here.

Individual local authorities can access their own dedicated page here.