Calls for action over bank closures
The Banking Standards Board (BSB) has spoken out to say that small businesses suffer the most from the closure of bank branches and that British banks need to work together to mitigate the effects, Reuters reports. Alison Cottrell, chief executive of the BSB, said that a ‘space’ for banks to collaborate and discuss branch sharing […]
The future of money project
The Bank of England have recently launched a project which is designed to engage the public in a major consultation on the future of money. Called Future Forum, they are inviting people to provide their thoughts on a variety of topics related to the future of money, including the consequences of the move from cash […]
Over 2000 villages expansion concerns
More than 2,000 English villages have been classified as unsuitable for expansion and are therefore missing out on new affordable housing, according to a new report by the Countryside Landowners Association (CLA). The report, Sustainable Villages, analyses how 50 local authorities decide on where to build new housing developments. However, the CLA has demonstrated that […]
Rural area faces ‘major winter problem’
NHS regional bosses have identified the East of England as a ‘trouble spot’ during this winter, according to the Health Service Journal. Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Trust in particular was singled out for ambulance handover delays, capacity shortage and staff unrest, compounded by its rural location. A statement by the East of England Service […]
Internet speeds bad for rural businesses
Small companies face losing money due to poor broadband connections after research shows more than a quarter of employees find slow internet the most frustrating part of their job. A survey from rural internet provider Whitespace Technology found that 28.2% of office workers said slow internet was more frustrating than a lack of facilities or […]
Cuts causing rural bus crisis
The Campaign for Better Transport has published a report into buses across the country entitled, ‘Buses in Crisis’. Using Freedom of Information requests, the report found that local authority bus budgets in England and Wales were cut by £20.5 million over the last year during the eighth consecutive year of budget cuts. The former chief […]
9 million Brits put off rural move
58 per cent of UK adults have said they would not move to the countryside because of poor broadband, according to a new uSwitch report. The website MobileNews explores the findings of the report, noting that concerns over internet connectivity are second only to poor transport links in the list of fears around moving to […]
Two-thirds of UK bank branches lost
New analysis from Which? suggests that nearly two thirds of the UK’s bank branches have closed over the past 30 years, the Mirror reports. Parliamentary records show that in 1988 there were 20,583 bank and building society branches across the UK, a number that has today dropped to 7,586. Which? data notes that 19 per […]
Spotlight on Rural Health & Social Care – November 2018
This newsletter is provided by the Rural Health Network, part of the Rural Services Network. It includes a roundup of rural health & social care news, research, learning and best practice. Rural Hospitals on Knife Crime Frontline The Guardian reported on the pressures being faced by rural hospitals as a result of the so-called ‘county […]
