RSN Autumn Statement Response – Reliance on Council Tax
The Rural Services Network is dismayed with the Autumn Statement released today where the Chancellor set out plans to allow Councils to increase Council Tax by 5% in 2023/24
1,000 village halls face closure as fuel bills soar
ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) have been surveying village halls over the summer months, with worrying results for their continued future
Rural services ‘may be lost’ without funding formula
Speaking to The MJ, Graham Biggs, chief executive of the Rural Services Network, said he feared many discretionary services in rural areas could be lost if the Treasury announces fresh austerity measures in the Autumn Statement without acknowledging its initial plan to improve rural finances eight years ago.
North Yorkshire to tackle rise in second homes with council tax premium
As reported in the Guardian Seaside towns of Scarborough and Whitby will be among first in England to double tax under levelling up bill
Libraries at risk of cuts despite ‘unprecedented’ rise in users
The BBC report how Libraries are at risk of cuts despite ‘unprecedented’ rise in users
Bank branch closures can have devastating impact on rural communities
The Yorkshire Post reports that new research by the lender Abound that estimates that just 5% of people have not withdrawn cash from an ATM in the last 12 months and that around 80% of Brits said that they took out money in the last three months
Train company restores Post Office services to rural village
The Evening Standard reports that train operator, Avanti West Coast, has launched a pop-up Post Office counter inside the ticket office at Oxenholme station – the first Post Office the rural community has had since a branch closed in February 2020
Keep it in the Community update 2022 – Plunkett Foundation
Joe Hesketh, Plunkett’s Data Manager provides an update on their refreshed directory of assets of community value
