Rural Coalition
The Rural Services Network is part of the Rural Coalition, a grouping of national organisations that subscribe to a vision for a living and working countryside in England.
We aim to use the Rural Coalition to have a stronger rural voice on key issues that impact rural communities.
Further information can be found at this link: https://acre.org.uk/rural-coalition/
- The Rural Coalition is Chaired by Mark Pragnell.
- The President of the Rural Coalition is The Rt Rev. the Lord Bishop of Newcastle
21 Jul 2025
New Chair of the Rural Coalition appointed
A new Chair of the Rural Coalition has been appointed following the retirement of longstanding Chair Margaret Clark CBE. Mark Pragnell took over the reins of the Coalition last week,...
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22 Apr 2025
Bishop of Newcastle appointed President of the Rural Coalition
The Rt Rev’d Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Newcastle, has been appointed President of the Rural Coalition, an alliance of twelve national organisations who work together to promote a shared...
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14 Jan 2025
Government’s Response to Rural Services Network: Industrial Strategy Update
The government recently addressed the Rural Services Network’s (RSN) concerns regarding the new Industrial Strategy, which had been perceived as overlooking the potential and needs of rural areas. The response...
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24 Sep 2024
Rural Economy: A Sleeping Giant Worth £19 Billion
As the new government prioritises economic growth, a landmark report published today reveals the enormous potential of the rural economy, which could generate billions of pounds annually in additional tax...
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29 Jul 2024
Design Codes and the Future of Rural Planning: Insights from the Office for Place
Last week, the Rural Coalition, including Kerry Booth, Chief Executive of the Rural Services Network (RSN), held a meeting where they were joined by Nicholas Boys Smith MBE, Interim Chair...
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24 Jun 2024
Ahead of the General Election, the Rural Coalition calls for stronger rural economies to boost national prosperity
24/06/2024 – The Rural Coalition, an alliance of twelve national organisations dedicated to enhancing rural life, is calling for attention to be given to boosting rural economies as part of...
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22 Apr 2024
RSN and Rural Coalition meet DEFRA Minister
Last week our Chief Executive Kerry Booth was part of a group of key national rural organisations that meet with the DEFRA Minister Robbie Moore MP. Holding the post of...
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07 Aug 2023
Demand for social homes in rural areas is growing at over 10 times the rate of that in towns and cities
The National Housing Federation recently published research showing that the number of rural households on local authority waiting lists in England, increased by 31% between 2019 and 2022, far exceeding...
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31 Jul 2023
RSN Chief Executive on BBC Radio 4 talking about rural services
Chief Executive of the Rural Services Network Kerry Booth featured on Farming Today on Monday 31st July talking about rural services. Here’s the discussion she had with presenter Charlotte Smith...
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17 Jul 2023
Rural Coalition makes further calls on the Government
In the Bulletin last week, The Rural Coalition set out a stark warning to the Government not to ignore the 9.7million people living in rural areas. The Coalition, an alliance...
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