Rural Vulnerability

Rural residents can suffer from Rural Vulnerability, due to a combination of issues such as poor transport, lack of broadband low wages and higher than average house prices. 

Hot Topics

01 Sep 2025

Persistent ‘Dental Deserts’ Risk Leaving Rural Communities Behind

New analysis from the Local Government Association (LGA) highlights a continuing crisis in NHS dental provision, with so-called ‘dental deserts’ leaving many communities – particularly rural and deprived areas –...

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01 Sep 2025

RSN Joins Call To End Permitted Development Rules Costing 28,000 Affordable Homes

Campaigners from local government, housing providers, and homelessness charities have signed an open letter calling on Government to scrap permitted development rights (PDR) that have cost thousands of affordable homes....

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26 Aug 2025

Thousands More Checks, Tests And Scans Now Available Out Of Hours

The Department of Health and Social Care has announced that 100 Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) across England are now offering out-of-hours services, open 12 hours a day, seven days a...

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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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18 Aug 2025

How SMEB is Supporting Communities in the Rural Financial Divide

As traditional bank branches disappear from rural high streets it has impacted local businesses and communities. However there are solutions now stepping up to bridge this gap. At the forefront...

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11 Aug 2025

Digital Shift Could Deepen Inequality

New analysis from Age UK has found that 2.4 million older people in the UK — nearly one in five (19%) — have limited use of the internet, going online...

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11 Aug 2025

End Digital Poverty Day 2025: Share your plans. Shape the national picture

On Friday 12 September, people and organisations across the UK will mark End Digital Poverty Day – a national moment for coordinated, visible action. Launched by the Digital Poverty Alliance...

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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

Consultation Opens on Proposed Reforms to WaterSure Scheme

DEFRA has launched a consultation on proposed reforms to the WaterSure scheme, which supports low-income households in England with high essential water use by capping their water and sewerage bills....

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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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