Analysis & Commentary
10 Aug 2015
What future for coastal communities?
We are an island nation. But are we delivering benefits for our rural coastal communities? Jessica Sellick investigates. We are an island nation. None of us apparently lives more than...
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19 Jul 2015
Transport for an ageing rural society
Viable alternative transport options to the car is important for the health and wellbeing of an ageing population, says Brian Wilson. A fairly recent news item told us that there...
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19 Jul 2015
Will the rural productivity plan work?
How can we support rural places to thrive? And what should be in the government’s rural Productivity Plan? Jessica Sellick investigates. Reasons why rural areas have grown or declined since...
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18 May 2015
How can we combat rural loneliness?
How lonely are countryside dwellers and what can be done about it? Jessica Sellick investigates. For many people, rural sights, sounds and communities are preferable to an urban lifestyle. But...
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25 Apr 2015
An agenda for warmer homes
Policy measures designed to tackle fuel poverty need redesigning, scaling up and better targeting, finds Brian Wilson. Policy measures designed to tackle fuel poverty, such as ECO, need redesigning, scaling...
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13 Apr 2015
Breaking the silence on mental health
What can we do to reduce the stigma and inequalities facing rural people experiencing mental distress? Jessica Sellick investigates. According to Defra’s Statistical Digest of Rural England, if you live...
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15 Mar 2015
How to ensure government ‘thinks rural’
How can we ensure rural voices are heard during the forthcoming General Election? Jessica Sellick investigates. Back in 2010, the government set out a number of policy commitments which were...
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01 Mar 2015
Successful neighbourhood planning
NEIGHBOURHOOD planning might be counted a success in terms of the number of communities now involved, though it can still be viewed as burdensome and challenging, finds Brian Wilson. Locality,...
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08 Feb 2015
So just how do we define ‘rural’?
WHAT does it mean for residents when their place they live or work is classed as ‘rural’? Jessica Sellick investigates. According to the Office for National Statistics, some 43.7 million...
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02 Feb 2015
Economic policy must be ‘rural proof’
FOR England’s economic potential to be realised, policy must look beyond metropolitan areas, finds Brian Wilson. At the back end of 2014 an interim report called ‘How the Other Half...
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