Rural communities | LocalGov


EXCLUSIVE: Sector bodies decline to join legal challenge 03/04/2025 County Councils Network and Rural Services Network will not financially support legal action over axing of the £100m rural services grant, The MJ understands.
Council leader: Legally challenging grant axing worthwhile 03/03/2025 North Yorkshire Council's legal action against the Government over a £14m funding cut could cost more than £250,000.
Councillor threatens legal action over ‘Rayner's rural robbery’ 23/01/2025 The deputy leader of North Yorkshire Council has accused the Government of ‘rural robbery’ over a reduction in funding and raised the spectre of legal action.
EV chargepoints ‘on track’ for 2030 goal but challenges remain 13/12/2024 The UK is on track to reach 300,000 public electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints by 2030, the national public spending watchdog has found.
Early years gets £2bn boost 10/12/2024 The early years sector is set to receive a £2bn funding boost next year as the final phase of the mass expansion of free childcare is delivered.
Council urges Government to drop farm tax plans 27/11/2024 Cornwall Council has agreed to call on the Government to reconsider its changes to inheritance tax rules.
Rural transport schemes win £1.2m 06/11/2024 Eight small businesses from across the UK have won a share of £1.2m to improve transport in rural areas.
Rural council areas at risk of becoming ‘pharmacy deserts’ 03/09/2024 Nearly nine in 10 council areas in England have seen pharmacies close during the last two years, new research reveals.
Suffolk announces electric car club trial 15/08/2024 A trial of electric community vehicles is set to launch in Suffolk next summer.
NextGov: What rural councils want from the next government 26/06/2024 The chief executive of the Rural Services Network (RSN), Kerry Booth, sets out rural councils' key asks of the next government.
The flaws in ‘Clarkson’s clause’ 10/06/2024 Following Jeremy Clarkson-inspired legislative changes around planning permission in rural areas, Kerry Booth, Rural Services Network, shares her concerns.
‘Clarkson's clause’ introduced to cut red tape for farmers 21/05/2024 New planning laws coming into effect today will enable farmers to convert disused agricultural buildings into homes and shops without planning permission.
North Yorkshire aims to build 500 council homes 20/05/2024 North Yorkshire Council has published its first housing strategy, which includes an ambition to build 500 council homes over five years.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.