Rural areas concern over ‘Stay alert’ advice’
Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, addressed the nation on Sunday 10th May, outlining the next stages in fighting the covid-19 virus The ‘conditional plan’ included outline details of how we could reopen parts of society from Wednesday. The Government has moved away from its ‘Stay Home’ slogan to a message asking the public to ‘Stay […]
Getting rural Britain back to work – Rural Coalition
The Rural Services network, alongside other members of the Rural Coalition, have written to George Eustice (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to warn against Government applying a rigid one-size-fits-all approach for getting Britain back to work. Instead it is suggested any strategy must consider the implications for rural people and businesses and also should […]
Evidence session on the impact of the ‘digital divide’ during the Covid-19 crisis launched
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has announced it will be hosting an evidence session on Friday on the impact of the ‘digital divide’ in accessing online support during the Covid-19 crisis MPs will hear evidence about the scale of digital exclusion at a time of a rapid shift online to access support during the […]
RSN to host first online seminar
The Rural Services Network is to host it’s first online seminar on 19th May for members of it’s organisation The ‘usual’ seminar programme of 7 events, one in each region around the country, each focusing on different topics relevant to rural areas was cancelled when the UK went into Lockdown with all staff working from […]
Homebuyers ‘plotting move to country’ amid increased home working
The Guardian and MailOnline cover news that estate agents are reporting a surge in the numbers of would-be homebuyers plotting a move out of the city to rural areas as people conclude that home working is here to stay Firms said that during the last few weeks they had seen a big increase in enquiries […]
‘Unprecedented’ number of countryside visitors during lockdown
The Easter Daily Press reports that there has been an ‘unprecedented’ rise in the number of people using farmland footpaths during lockdown Rural advisors at Savills Norwich say they have received a spike in enquiries from farmers and landowners asking for advice on how to manage the increase in visitors who are walking on their […]
One in 10 rural English and Welsh properties don’t have superfast broadband option
Several outlets report on the fact that fibre is ‘the key to productivity’ for rural businesses, yet one in 10 rural English and Welsh properties don’t have a superfast broadband option yet The website Technative reports that achieving seamless connectivity has been a ‘longstanding bottleneck for productivity’ for businesses operating in rural areas throughout the […]
Fears children ‘being left behind’ due to lockdown digital divide
ITV reports on fears that in some rural areas, pupils are missing out on home-schooling during lockdown due to poor internet access The data, which was part of a study by the Children’s Commissioner for England, examined vulnerabilities faced by children during the COVID-19 crisis and highlighted the issue of digital inequality. Areas including Norfolk, […]
Cities could be treated differently to rural areas when lockdown restrictions are lifted
The Bristol Post reports that earlier this week, England’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said one ‘possibility’ of lifting lockdown was to do so at a local level rather than nationally He said: ‘we know that cities and densely-populated places have a higher prevalence than rural places… and an option that could be considered […]
Self Employment Income Support Scheme
The Self Employment Income Support Scheme is due to open for applications on 13 May, with funds reaching people within 6 working days With large numbers of self employed people in rural areas, this scheme will provide a lifeline for many. THIS webpage explains the eligibility criteria, how it will be calculated in various situations […]
