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.
18 Aug 2025
MPs Call For Urgent Action To Reverse Bus Service Decline
The Transport Committee has warned that bus services in England have suffered a decade of decline, leaving many communities — particularly in smaller towns, coastal areas, and the countryside —...
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15 Aug 2025
The Fair Funding Review 2.0
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government Closed 15 August 2025 The Fair Funding Review 2.0 This consultation sought views on the approach to determining new funding allocations for local...
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28 Jul 2025
Championing Rural Fairness: RSN Drives Response to Fair Funding Consultation
The Rural Services Network (RSN) is leading a proactive response to the Government’s Fair Funding Review consultation, calling for urgent action to end the funding inequalities that continue to disadvantage...
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28 Jul 2025
Committee Warns Local Government Finance System is ‘Broken’
The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has issued a stark warning that the current local government funding system is no longer sustainable – calling for urgent reform to protect...
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28 Jul 2025
What is the State of the UK’s Digital Divide?
Digital Nation 2025, the latest annual infographic from Good Things Foundation, paints a stark picture of ongoing digital exclusion across the UK. Using data from Ofcom, Age UK, Lloyds Bank,...
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28 Jul 2025
Giving Every Child The Best Start In Life
The Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South), recently delivered a statement to Parliament outlining the Government’s new Best Start in Life strategy. The plan sets...
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21 Jul 2025
RMTG Sounding Boards: Rural Voices of All Ages Heard
Earlier this month, the Rural Services Network hosted two Sounding Board sessions for its Rural Market Town Group (RMTG), bringing together local representatives to explore the unique challenges facing both...
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21 Jul 2025
Dedicated Support for Rural communities to end
Last week the Government advised Local Authorities that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund is coming to an end in March 2026, as set out in the latest Spending Review document....
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07 Jul 2025
Local Government Conference 25
As we recover from the excitement of Liverpool and the LGA Conference last week, it’s time to reflect on the themes we saw emerging across the three days of discussion,...
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07 Jul 2025
Councils to be Measured on New Draft Metrics
Last week, the Government published a new draft Local Government Outcomes Framework, setting out a proposed structure for how central and local government might work together to measure progress on...
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