Rural areas inundated with visitors escaping COVID-19
Sky News have detailed how Britons are increasingly ignoring advice to stay home and are using the countryside as an escape from coronavirus Cumbria Police said the Lake District was among the places experiencing an “influx” of visitors and that people who do not live in the area should stay away. “A national emergency shut-down of […]
Rural Public Health funding
Local authorities (upper tier and unitary) are responsible for improving the health of their local population and reducing health inequalities In 2020/21 the total public health grant to local authorities will be £3.279bn, increasing from £3.134bn in 2019/20. The grant is ring fenced for use on public health functions exclusively for all ages. The overall […]
Coronavirus: How to help the rural elderly
People aged over 70 have been told by the government to prepare to self-isolate for potentially a “very long time” to help tackle the spread of coronavirus. But what will life be like for those in the countryside, often far away from their families? An article produced by the BBC follows the difficulties that advice […]
Rural Organisations Express COVID-19 Concerns to Defra
The Chairs of the Rural Services Network, the Rural Coalition, ACRE and the Plunkett Foundation have last week written to the Secretary of State at DEFRA to express their concern for rural communities at this difficult time They reassured the Secretary of State that they would support their rural members in the current crisis but […]
#LevelUp FE – Poor transport links compound the disadvantages rural young people face
This week, the Rural Services Network’s chief executive Graham Biggs published a second article in FE News with Young Somerset chief executive Nik Harwood They focused on the issue of accessibility of accessing further education from rural areas. In terms of transport, rural young people face the twin challenges of distance and cost. Transport is […]
The Broadband USO formally comes into force
Every home and business in the UK has the legal right to request a decent, affordable broadband connection From 20 March 2020, if you can’t get a download speed of 10 Mbit/s and an upload speed of 1 Mbit/s, you can request an upgraded connection. You can make this request to BT, or to KCOM if […]
3.2 Million emergency support for rough sleepers during coronavirus outbreak
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announces £3.2 million emergency funding to help rough sleepers to self-isolate The Funding represents an initial first step to help local authorities and frontline services be fully prepared and put emergency measures in place. Councils will be reimbursed for the cost of providing accommodation and services to rough sleepers, and those […]
Ofcom announce measuring compliance with the Shared Rural Network
ISPreview has covered Ofcom’s announcement of more details about the new £1 billion Shared Rural Network (SRN), which aims to extend UK geographic 4G mobile coverage to 95 per cent by the end of 2025 The new guidance explains how the regulator will assess the compliance of O2, Vodafone, Three UK and EE (BT) with […]
Call for support for the county’s rural schools
The Craven Herald has reported that in North Yorkshire, a large proportion of schools are in rural areas and that the county has the highest number of small schools in England These schools face the risk of financial difficulty, and the level of deficit among these schools is increasing. North Yorkshire County Council has lobbied […]
MP’s 90-minute train journey to London is quicker than six-mile bus journey to his constituency office
The Coventry Telegraph covers news that a rural Warwickshire MP says he can get to London by train in less time than it takes to get the bus from his home to his constituency office Fast trains take around an hour and a half to make the journey of just under 90 miles from Bedworth […]
