Rural Services Network - Rural Services Network

THE rural economy faces a battle to avoid slipping again into recession, says a report.

POLICY-MAKERS could do more to encourage the economic potential of rural areas, say experts.

ONE in three rural youngsters fear they will have to leave their area to find a job, reveals a study.

BUSINESS leaders are urging the government to reduce VAT on rural tourism services.

RURAL tourism is set to benefit from a major new TV series.

RURAL businesses and organisations are to benefit from a £1m boost thanks to East Sussex County Council.

SOME 90,000 aspiring business people will receive training in a government drive for rural economic growth.

FARMHOUSE bed and breakfast businesses have helped generate £3.5bn for the rural economy, says a report.

WORKING well together is a key factor behind the success of some rural micro-businesses, says a report.

CONFIDENCE is growing in the rural business sector, suggesting the countryside is starting to emerge from the recession.

RURAL economic indicators were largely unchanged during the third quarter of 2012 – although the rate of redundancies increased.

Harnessing rural potential is crucial if a government drive is to maximise local economic growth, warns a report.

RURAL residents spend 25% more on fuel for their daily commute to work, claim countryside campaigners.

More than 500 jobs and 120 start-up businesses could be created by a government initiative in rural Warwickshire.

BRITAIN faces a two-speed rural economy unless the government helps rural communities determine their own future, a report has warned.

ONE of England's most rural local authorities has unveiled a rural development grant to support local businesses.

A £300,000 funding pot has been launched to help rural businesses branch out in Leicestershire.

FARMING is much loved but few people realise its contribution to the rural economy, say university researchers.

A £3.5m investment is set to create hundreds of rural jobs in Cumbria, the government has claimed.

A Top Ten list pinpoints the rural areas where online entrepreneurs are boosting the local economy.

RURAL businesses are facing a significant drop in confidence and investment, reveals a survey.

THE government's rural watchdog is looking at how small rural businesses have fared during the economic downturn.

BRITAIN'S wet summer is set to cost the rural economy £240m due to cancelled events, according to forecasts.

PLANS to help bring empty and redundant rural buildings back into productive use have been unveiled by the government.

A GOVERNMENT strategy to support local shops does not go far enough, claim rural retailers.

THREE in five rural businesses are dissatisfied with their broadband speeds, reveals a study.

RURAL businesses in south-west England show it is possible to innovate and grow, believes DEFRA secretary Caroline Spelman.

THE Countryside and Community Research Institute is examining the impact of different practices on cod fishing.

THE government's £60m rural economy grant scheme has been massively oversubscribed.

RURAL communities have a second chance to apply for rural broadband funding.

LOWER investment in rural business over the next 12 months could lead to restricted growth, say analysts.

FUEL prices have overtaken slow broadband as the biggest rural issue, a computer guru has warned.

ONE thousand rural businesses will benefit from the first grants under a new government scheme, claim ministers.

RURAL businesses have until the end of the month to apply for the first round of funding from a major new grant scheme.

SOME £250,000 in grant funding is still available for rural businesses looking to develop or expand in southern Oxfordshire.

BUSINESSES are being advised to apply now for funding under a new rural grant scheme.

THE government has unveiled a £20 million scheme to help provide work-based training for rural businesses.

A £60m rural grant scheme will turn ambitious business plans into reality, claims the government.

TOURISM, agri-food, forestry and renewable energy are among the areas targeted in a new rural grant scheme.

THE government aims to increase the contribution made by rural tourism to the economy, MPs have been told.

A COMPREHENSIVE plan is needed to realise the growth potential of rural economies, say experts.

A £15m pilot project to boost the rural economy has opened for applications.

MARKET towns have praised a report calling for new life to be breathed back into Britain’s high streets.

THE government's rural watchdog has issued a call for evidence relating to youth employment, education and training.

FEWER shoppers are visiting high streets in market towns, suggests a survey.

MOST people underestimate the contribution made by the countryside to the national economy, reveals a study.

RURAL tourism contributed £17bn to the national economy in 2010/11, according to the latest figures.

RURAL areas are being neglected for economic development funding, a local authority has warned.

RURAL towns have welcomed an independent review into ways of promoting more prosperous and diverse high streets.