Rural Services Network - Rural Services Network

What can be done to help those in poverty in the countryside? Jessica Sellick investigates.

How can we balance tight budgets with the need to improve rural public transport? Jessica Sellick investigates.

MANY farmers are struggling to make ends meet. How can we ensure they have a future? Jessica Sellick investigates.

One in five people in the UK live in or around small rural towns. But can they thrive? Jessick Sellick investigates.

WHAT support is available to help our much loved coastal places create jobs and prosperity? Jessica Sellick investigates.

Many NHS colleagues and other public service providers have had a torrid few years wrestling with the consequences of austerity measures and the implications this has for resourcing key public services, including health.

Is the government's Rural Statement a 'new' contract to empower communities or re-presentation of 'old' initiatives? Jessica Sellick finds out.

With increasing demands being placed upon land, can we afford to overlook the potential of the 'fringe'? Jessica Sellick investigates.

The government pledged to issue a rural statement this spring. It's been a long time coming, says Jessica Sellick.

POLICIES to assist young people into work, training or higher education need to take account of the rural dimension according to a new report, finds Brian Wilson.

NEIGHBOURHOOD planning will not be for every community but the rewards could be significant, says Brian Wilson.

Will Defra's Priorities and Business Plans create thriving rural communities? Jessica Sellick investigates.

The latest welfare and housing reforms could have unforeseen rural consequences, writes Brian Wilson.

IS localism meeting rural needs? Or is it hindered by apathy? Jessica Sellick investigates.

A twenty-five year perspective is a reminder of some frustratingly hard-to-crack rural concerns, writes Brian Wilson.

WILL large-scale conservation areas lead to a living, working, protected and vibrant countryside?

THE final version of the government's National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has been revised for the better, writes Brian Wilson.

SUCCESSFUL engagement between developers, local planning authorities and communities will be key, says Brian Wilson.

WHAT is being done to address the complex social, economic and environmental issues faced by our coastal communities?

A RECENT report might help us better understand rural productivity, says Brian Wilson.

People tend to think of the uplands as wild areas, but the truth is very different. Jessica Sellick investigates.

Just how can rural settlements deliver housing, employment and a range of services?

Rural policy in Scotland has developed in distinctive ways and makes for an interesting comparison with that in England, says Brian Wilson.

THE government describes its Rural Economy Growth Review as DEFRA's deal for the countryside. But what's in it exactly?

A MORE more flexible approach to ambulance response times might deliver better clinical outcomes for rural communities, says Brian Wilson.

What are the threats and perhaps opportunities facing the rural economy? Rose Regeneration investigates.

Arrangements where older people with support needs both receive and provide help may have much to offer, writes Brian Wilson.

What motivates us in our choice of foods and eating habits? Jessica Sellick investigates.

RURAL characteristics can constrain young people's aspirations, says Brian Wilson.

What next for rural people and places: made to measure policies or policies imposed from afar? Jessica Sellick investigates.

ECONOMIC uncertainty and major policy reform make rural housing markets hard to predict, writes Brian Wilson.

Could the way allotments are managed be viewed as an indicator of the Big Society, asks Brian Wilson.

THE rural economy is distinct from the urban economy and requires a distinct policy response, writes Andy Dean.

There's a new deprivation index but the same old rural concerns, says Brian Wilson.

CLIMATE change will hit some of our most disadvantaged rural coastal communities, says Brian Wilson.

CAN the provision of rural transport be improved even in hard times? Brian Wilson thinks it can.

SIGNIFICANT benefits can follow where new parish and town councils are set up, writes Brian Wilson.

The Rural Coalition has prepared a briefing examining the government's Localism Bill.

POVERTY is forecast to rise and rural areas are unlikely to be spared, says Brian Wilson.

RURAL areas have lost out again under the government's funding settlement for local authorities.

Here's the government's own at-a-glance guide to measures contained in the Localism Bill.

ONE of England's most rural counties believes it will benefit from government plans to make local authorities responsible for public health.

The challenge when building the big Society will be reaching those with the weakest social networks, writes Brian Wilson.

Analyst and rural expert Robert Bullard investigates the thorny issue of affordable housing.

LOCAL authorities can take a lead in the management of local water resources, writes Brian Wilson.

Market towns are taking a novel approach to overcoming the worst effects of the recession, writes Robert Bullard.

Rural people are less likely to think that the police are doing a good job, writes Brian Wilson.