Rural Fair Funding
Amid reduced public spending, fair resource allocation across regions is crucial. Despite a population larger than Greater London, rural areas receive significantly less funding for essential services, even though delivering these services in rural locales is costlier.
14 Jan 2025
Addressing Rural Connectivity: Challenges and Progress
The plight of poor digital connectivity in rural UK remains a significant barrier for over half a million businesses, as detailed in a recent article published by Countryside Alliance. These...
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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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18 Dec 2024
Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement: England, 2025 – 2026
The Rural Services Network is meticulously examining today’s statement concerning the Provisional Local Government Settlement. We are committed to fully assessing the implications for our rural member councils, especially with...
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17 Dec 2024
Devolution White Paper
The Government has published the Devolution White Paper which sets out their vision and plans for devolving power across the nation. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has vowed to make...
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10 Dec 2024
Milestones for change, for rural?
The Prime Minister Kier Starmer last week unveiled his Plan for Change, setting out ‘ambitious but achievable milestones they aim to meet by the end of this Parliament.’ The missions...
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09 Dec 2024
Local Government Funding
The importance of rural councils coming together was highlighted last week with an urgent meeting called by the Rural Services Network of local authority members. Following the Local Government Finance...
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02 Dec 2024
Investing in Preventative Support: A Rural Perspective on the LGA’s Latest Findings
The Local Government Association (LGA) has unveiled a compelling report highlighting the substantial benefits of investing in preventative support within social care. The findings indicate that for every £1 allocated...
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02 Dec 2024
Local Government Funding Reforms Announced
Last week the Government published the policy statement for Local Government Finance 2025-2026. This included outline details of the headline allocations through the Provisional Settlement for Local Government for which...
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02 Dec 2024
Rural Services Network Seminar Recap: A Focus on Rural Health and Care
The Rural Services Network (RSN) proudly hosted its final seminar of the year last week, focusing on the crucial topic of Rural Health and Care. This online event brought together...
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02 Dec 2024
Unpacking the NHS Dental Recovery Plan with a Rural Perspective
The National Audit Office (NAO) has released an investigation into the NHS Dental Recovery Plan, pinpointing major challenges and progress in enhancing dental services in England, particularly underlining the acute...
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