LocalGov elections: Being vigilant ahead of the local elections
Ahead of the local elections next month, Owen Prendeville, Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), offers tips for protecting against cyber attacks.
Council criticised for punishing rural weeing
30/01/2024 Peeing in the countryside is an act of littering, a Hertfordshire borough council insists. |
Rural homelessness up 40%
04/01/2024 Levels of homelessness in rural areas have increased by 40% over the last five years, research by a countryside charity has revealed. |
Campaigners warn of ‘silent war’ on bus services
28/11/2023 Bus services have seen a dramatic decline over the past 15 years, with provision decreasing by more than 60% in 80 local authority areas, research reveals. |
Demand responsive buses won't fill gap, CCN says
25/10/2023 Three in four large rural councils in England are rolling out demand-responsive transport (DRT) bus services but councils have warned that they are not financially sustainable or a substitute for government bus service subsidies. |
County areas behind on EV charging
28/09/2023 The number of publicly available electric vehicle (EV) charge points in England’s county and rural areas lags ‘far behind’ major towns and cities, according to a report. |
Rural bus services at ‘historic low’
19/07/2023 One in four bus routes in county and rural areas have vanished over the last decade as passenger numbers dropped to a historic low, according to a new report. |
Rooftop solar panels should be fitted as standard, charity says
23/05/2023 The majority of the solar panels required to reach the Government’s net zero targets could be fitted on rooftops and car parks, campaigners say. |
Rural councils faced with ‘hidden homelessness’ crisis
17/03/2023 Rural areas are struggling with a homelessness crisis driven by soaring housing costs and a shortfall in local authority funding, a new report claims. |
County chiefs call for powers to solve rural workforce crisis
06/02/2023 Council leaders have called for powers to tackle labour squeeze as a new analysis reveals that hundreds of thousands of people have left the rural workforce. |
Multi-million-pound contract to speed up Cornwall broadband
20/01/2023 Residents in rural Cornwall are set to benefit from faster broadband after local supplier Wildanet was awarded a £36m contract to roll out new connections. |
Satellites trialled in effort to boost broadband
01/12/2022 Rural homes and businesses could see a boost to their broadband connections if a trial to use satellites to deliver high-speed connections is successful. |
Council chiefs warn of ‘dental deserts’
03/10/2022 Public health directors have warned the cost-of-living crisis and a lack of NHS dentists in rural areas will lead to more people requiring emergency treatment. |
Council welcomes £6.6m broadband deal
29/09/2022 Thousands of rural premises in Teesdale are set to gain access to faster broadband after a multi-million-pound contract was awarded under Project Gigabit. |
Rural businesses to receive £110m boost
05/09/2022 Businesses across rural England are set to benefit from a £110m cash injection to boost productivity and create job opportunities in the countryside. |
Decarbonisation efforts ‘penalise’ rural households, warns think tank
05/07/2022 The Government has been urged to give rural households who live off the gas grid more time to transition to low carbon heating. |
Scottish council to deliver school meals by drone
17/06/2022 Pupils in remote parts of Argyll and Bute on the west coast of Scotland could soon have their school meals delivered by drone. |
Investment in countryside could add over £40bn to economy
27/04/2022 Policies focused on improving the economic and social potential of the countryside could add £43bn to the UK economy, report finds. |
Rural health services need ‘levelling up’, MPs say
01/02/2022 Rural local authorities spend a disproportionately higher share of their budget on providing social care than their urban counterparts, MPs warn. |
Short term holiday rentals ‘crippling’ rural communities, warns charity
13/01/2022 There has been a 1,000% increase in the number of homes listed for short term lets in the past six years, a charity has warned today. |
‘Shameful inequities’ driving the young out of the countryside
13/10/2021 Young people are abandoning rural communities due to a lack of public transport and affordable housing despite the Government’s much-vaunted ‘levelling up’ agenda, a countryside charity has warned. |
Council chiefs warn rural communities risk missing out on vital services
31/08/2021 Rural areas are at risk of missing out on vital services due to a surge in the number of barns being converted into homes, local authority leaders have warned. |
Over two million young people ‘overlooked’ in COVID recovery
26/08/2021 The over two million young people living in rural areas are being overlooked in the post-pandemic recovery, a new report has warned. |
Rural communities 'overlooked' in levelling-up funding, report finds
04/08/2021 The allocation of levelling up funding is 'overlooking' rural communities, a report has claimed today. |
Rural homelessness doubles in past two years, campaigners warn
28/10/2020 Homelessness in rural areas has more than doubled since 2018, new research from campaigners has warned. |
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Government announces £22m rural broadband investment
14/09/2020 Over £22m of funding is being invested into the Government’s broadband voucher scheme to boost broadband speeds in rural English shires and counties. |
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Rural councils join forces to tackle climate change
25/06/2020 A coalition of 21 rural councils, in partnership with UK100, have launched the Countryside Climate Network this week. |
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Councils ‘best placed’ to understand digital needs of local areas
18/09/2019 The Local Government Association says councils have a central role to play in making sure people in rural areas have access to the fastest broadband services. |
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Cyclists demand access to rural footpaths
20/08/2019 British cyclists are calling for a reform of England’s rights of way legislation to allow bikes onto country footpaths – a call resisted by walkers. |
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Rural councils call for end to 'systemic bias' in public finance
22/07/2019 The Government has been urged to end 'systemic bias' when allocating public funding by a new coalition of council chiefs and MPs. |
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Elderly people in rural communities have less social care provision, report warns
19/07/2019 The way adult social care is funded has led to deep inequalities in provision, the Salvation Army has warned. |
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Domestic abuse victims in rural areas ‘failed’ by system
17/07/2019 Victims of domestic abuse living in the countryside are ‘isolated, unsupported and unprotected’ a damning report has warned today. |
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Council chiefs call for devolution to rural communities after Brexit
04/07/2019 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to devolve more powers to rural areas in the event that Britain leaves the European Union. |
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Bus users outline plan to reverse rural decline
13/06/2019 A group representing bus users across the UK has published a 10-point plan to reverse the decline in rural services. |
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No such thing as a ‘rural transport problem’, report concludes
03/05/2019 It is ‘very easy’ to provide high quality public transport to rural communities, a study comparing approaches to transport in four countries has concluded. |
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Peers call for strategies to develop ‘under-performing’ rural areas
29/04/2019 Local authorities should develop their own strategies for realising the ‘potential in struggling and under-performing’ rural areas, committee says. |
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Rural housing crisis ‘forgotten’ by Whitehall
25/01/2019 It would take 130 years to build enough new homes for people on waiting lists in rural areas at the current rate of housebuilding, campaigners have warned. |
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Rural business ‘stifled’ by planning system, warn landowners
19/04/2018 Delays by local authority planning departments are viewed as a ‘barrier’ to economic growth and development in rural areas, survey reveals. |
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Potholes ‘cutting off’ rural communities, insurer warns
16/04/2018 The deteriorating rural road network is in danger of cutting off countryside communities, rural insurer warns. |
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Inquiry launched into rural social mobility
29/03/2018 A new inquiry on social mobility in rural areas has been launched in a bid to determine what opportunities are available to young people in counties. |
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Whitehall ‘failing’ rural communities, committee warns
22/03/2018 The Government has slashed department resources dedicated to promoting the needs of rural communities, select committee finds. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.
