28/09/2020 – RSN Executive Meeting
MINUTES FOR RURAL SERVICES NETWORK EXECUTIVE AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS Hosted: Online via Zoom Date: Monday 28th September 2020 Time: 11:15am To download the agenda and the papers associated with the meeting click here To download minutes of the meeting click here Attendance & Apologies These can be found in downloadable version of the minutes 1. […]
RSN response to the Comprehensive Spending Review
The Government announced earlier in the year its Comprehensive Spending Review which is carried out approximately every three years to allocate funding to departments which provides certainty for government departments to plan ahead The Government asked for written representations to comment on government policy and the Rural Services Network has provided a wide ranging response. […]
Call for Government to level-up rural areas to support England’s economic recovery from COVID-19
Call for Government to level-up rural areas to support England’s economic recovery from COVID-19 Rural Coalition urges Government to unlock untapped potential of rural communities and economies and to address long-standing inequalities A coalition of thirteen leading rural organisations is today urging the Government to commit to more equitable funding in rural areas to support […]
New report to boost affordable housing supply published
The Affordable Housing Commission’s new report ‘A National Housing Conversion Fund: buying properties to boost affordable housing supply’ was published last week The report calls on the government to prepare a National Housing Conversion Fund for England to help struggling tenants and drive the economic recovery. A ring-fenced fund – to enable social landlords and […]
Rural isolation and mental health
Somerset County Gazette and South West Farmer have reported on YouGov research, commissioned by the Samaritans showing that nearly half (45 per cent) of men aged between 20 and 59 in rural communities in the UK have experienced feelings of anxiety during lockdown Around a third (32 per cent) of men aged between 20 and […]
Rural risk to fast broadband target
The Times has reported on warning from telecommunications firms that the Government risks missing its target of delivering gigabit broadband speeds to all parts of the UK by 2025, as rural consumers are at risk of being left behind by unaffordable and inaccessible full-fibre broadband BT Openreach said it was ‘really not worried’ about being […]
Rural firms face ‘exceptional challenges’ despite Winter Economy Plan
Farming UK has covered reports that rural businesses still face ‘exceptional challenges’ despite the Chancellor’s Winter Economy Plan announced last week Further to his announcement that the Autumn Budget will be cancelled, Chancellor Rishi Sunak MP (Con) announced details of his Winter Economy Plan on Thursday 24th September. It includes further measures to support businesses […]
Councils warn that a quarter of childcare providers could close in rural areas
Nursery World has reported on warnings from English councils that up to one in 10 childcare providers could close this winter, and that as many as one in four are at risk in rural areas according to a survey by the County Councils Network (CCN) Families in more remote areas are already limited by fewer […]
Rural Coalition: ‘Rural areas in danger of being left behind’
Several news outlets have followed up on the Rural Coalition’s calls for Government to commit equitable funding for rural areas to support England’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic Papers and broadcasters including BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today, Farmers Weekly, Farming UK, and the Local Authority Building and Maintenance all published news about the Coalition’s […]
Get your business back on its feet – an offer!
We know that many of our members are small business owners and the ongoing crisis is likely to be hitting you hard To offer you support we’ve partnered with Be the Business, to give small business owners based in England exclusive access to one-to-one mentoring, which is government-funded and completely FREE of charge. Be the Business are an independent, […]
