local services
19 Aug 2025
New Report Highlights Ongoing Rural Service Challenges
Rural England CIC has today published its latest State of Rural Services 2025 report, providing an updated and detailed picture of how people living in rural areas across England access...
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21 Jul 2025
New ACS Report Reveals Public Priorities for Local Services
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has published its Community Barometer 2025, providing fresh insight into which local services voters value most and want to see more of in their...
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14 Jan 2025
Urgent: Submit Your Input on Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement by 15th January
As the national champion for rural services, the RSN is committed to advocating for equitable funding across England’s rural communities. Today we will be submitting our detailed response to the...
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20 Dec 2024
Rural Financial Crisis Deepens: RSN Analysis Exposes Stark Funding Inequities in Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement
The Rural Services Network (RSN) has conducted an initial analysis of the recent Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement and is deeply concerned about the implications for England’s rural communities. While...
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20 May 2024
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Hotels Vote for ‘Tourist Tax’
As reported in the Press, The first coastal ‘tourist tax’ in the UK is set to be introduced in Dorset, targeting visitors to Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole from July 1st....
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26 Feb 2024
Council Tax Rises: The Rural Perspective
The County Councils Network (CCN) has warned that local authorities across England, especially those in rural areas, are facing an unprecedented financial crisis. The majority are set to significantly increase...
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30 Oct 2023
New planning laws come into force with Levelling Up Bill
As the Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill received Royal Assent last week, a raft of new measures came into force which the government says will “put local people at the...
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26 Jun 2023
Fears that rural communities will be hit by changes to DIY waste charges ban
There are fresh concerns that a new ban on charges to dispose of DIY waste in England will push up costs for rural households. Following a consultation, the Government announced...
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31 Oct 2022
‘Worse than austerity’ – councils warn that any cuts to their budgets next year would mean they are only able to offer the bare minimum in local services
England’s largest councils today warn that any moves to cut their budgets next year would be ‘worse than austerity’ and result in ‘devastating’ reductions to local services – with local...
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10 Oct 2022
Call for Rural to be at the heart of the journey to Net Zero
The impacts of dangerous climate change will affect all communities. This much is already clear from the rural impacts of increasingly frequent storm damage, flood events and periods of drought....
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