Rural Business

Our work on Local Government Finance is split into two areas, the Fairer Funding  campaign and a financial analysis of local authority budgets.

Hot Topics

10 Jul 2023

Rural Coalition urges Government not to ignore England’s 9.7 million rural voters

Rural England’s population of 9.7 million risk being left further behind after the next general election if the political system continues to ignore the systematic inequalities facing rural communities and...

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10 Jul 2023

Project Gigabit slow in making progress in rural areas

The £5 billion Government commitment to deliver lightning-fast, reliable broadband to every corner of the United Kingdom is starting to roll out to rural areas. Project Gigabit aims to deploy...

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10 Jul 2023

Rural England’s 9.7 million risk being left further behind at general election

The Rural Coalition urges political parties to address rural challenges to gain ground among countryside voters  10 July 2023: Rural England’s population of 9.7 million risk being left further behind...

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12 Jun 2023

Simon Fell MP announced as UK’s first Rural Connectivity Champion

The Barrow and Furness MP, Simon Fell, has been announced as the UK’s first Rural Connectivity Champion.  The role was first detailed as part of the Wireless Infrastructure Strategy unveiled...

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30 May 2023

Plunkett and the community business movement – Impact Report 2022

The Plunkett Foundation is the only organisation supporting rural community-owned businesses at every stage of their journey in all four UK nations. It recently released its Impact Report 2022, detailing...

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26 Apr 2023

What is the potential for electric cargo (e-cargo) bikes to be used for last mile delivery in rural areas?

The National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) explores this ‘green logistics’ opportunity in its latest module in its innovation portal. With an introductory blog post from NICRE Innovation Associate...

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26 Apr 2023

North East based business develops innovative solution to get ahead of mental health concerns in the workplace

The importance of maintaining good mental health in the workplace has been well publicised with employers increasingly investing time and money into supporting their workforce and making efforts to reduce...

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26 Apr 2023

The digital business world

One of the key learnings we here at the Forum have taken from the Pandemic is that it was a tipping point for many businesses in terms of their interaction...

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24 Apr 2023

Plunkett Foundation Conference 2023 – Facing the Future: Together

FACING THE FUTURE TOGETHER Join Plunkett and the community business movement for a national event being held in the West Midlands this summer Date: Thursday 6 July (10.00am – 16.15pm)...

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24 Apr 2023

Rural small firms present new ideas to become ‘economic growth-belt’ against backdrop of inequalities

FSB’s latest Growth Belt report highlights the way rural businesses are struggling against a backdrop of mounting energy costs, poor transport links, and unreliable broadband. Small firms in rural areas...

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