Latest News
08 Jun 2020
COVID-19 – Rural Communities Pulling Together (Week 9)
We asked for examples of our rural communities pulling together and have been inundated with responses so far! We featured 10 each week, and this week are pleased to feature...
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01 Jun 2020
Rural Services Network and Institute of Economic Development work together to support rural
The Rural Services Network and the Institute of Economic Development, a member of the Rural Services Partnership, have joined forces to work together on a piece of work designed to...
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01 Jun 2020
Public health directors urge delay to lockdown easing amid test and trace confusion
Significant concerns are being raised by directors of public health and other leading sector figures that the lockdown is being eased too quickly, as confusion remains over how the test...
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01 Jun 2020
Tough new rules to lock down whole towns to rapidly isolate new COVID-19 sufferers
The Sun warns that some towns could face isolated lockdown measures if there are regional flare-ups, as Boris Johnson announced the Government’s crucial new ‘track and trace’ programme this week...
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01 Jun 2020
Financial Times reflects sentiment that increasing numbers of city-dwellers are now considering a move to the countryside due to the pandemic
An opinion editorial in the Financial Times this week confirms the growing number of urban residents that are now considering living in the countryside as lockdown has forced the country...
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01 Jun 2020
Issues raised at the 29th May meeting of the Rural Impacts Stakeholder Forum (RISF)
The Rural Impacts Stakeholder Forum (RISF) was established in March 2020 to enable open and regular dialogue between key rural stakeholder organisations and Defra on the impact of COVID-19 on...
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01 Jun 2020
UK Shared Prosperity Fund must replace lost EU rural funding
Farming Life has called for urgent progress to be made on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to replace EU funding that will be lost due to Brexit Programmes like the...
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01 Jun 2020
The Prince’s Countryside Fund awards emergency grants to rural communities
Writing for the Countryside Alliance website, Baroness Mallalieu the Countryside Alliance President, argues that the Government should open campsites, cottages, cafes and pubs with outdoor gardens, and all national park...
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01 Jun 2020
Local communities could run rural railway lines
The Yorkshire Post has published an article by politician, activist and author Paul Salveson, in which he argues that the crisis has posed huge challenges for the transport sector as...
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01 Jun 2020
Defra food vulnerability update
Below is is this week’s update on Defra’s work on food for vulnerable people: Food boxes We have now delivered more than 2 million boxes of food We have sent...
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