Rural Services Network - Rural Services Network

The government has unveiled proposals to change its funding formula to recognise the additional expense of providing services in rural areas.

THE government's rural statement, originally to be published in late spring, has been postponed until autumn.

A NUMBER of MPs have been made parliamentary patrons of the Rural Fair Share campaign.

THE government says it has no plans to increase the amount of time ministers can be quizzed by MPs on rural issues.

SUPPORTING rural communities is included in three priorities outlined by Defra's Business Plan for 2012-15.

THE government's £1.4bn regional growth fund is failing to deliver value for money, says the official financial watchdog.

FORGOTTEN rural communities must be treated more fairly, an MP has warned.

A BILL to establish new arrangements for auditing local bodies was included in the Queen's Speech.

MINISTERS are continuing to seek meetings with 17 rural networks set up as a 'hotline to the heart of government'.

MPs have called for a fairer deal from the government for rural communities.

GOVERNMENT support for rural communities is to be debated by MPs.

THREE new networks have been unveiled to help ensure government policies are rural-friendly.

THE government has unveiled the long-awaited final version of its National Planning Policy Framework.

A £15m project to boost the rural economy will create more than 3,000 jobs and 700 businesses, claims the government.

RURAL communities are unlikely to benefit from the government's latest budget, stakeholders have warned.

DEFRA is recruiting new members to five positions on the department's Civil Society Advisory Board.

THE Liberal Democrats have urged the government to abandon plans to abolish the Commission for Rural Communities.

BUSINESS and community leaders attending roadshows with government ministers are helping shape action to support rural areas.

MPs fighting for fairer rural funding have taken their case to Prime Minister David Cameron.

A GOVERNMENT map reveals the areas of England covered by Defra's new farming and rural networks.

A NEW network will give communities the chance to shape future rural policies, the government has announced.

THE government is to review the formula that helps decide how much money local authorities receive to provide rural services.

DEFRA secretary Caroline Spelman has unveiled a £165m Rural Economy Growth review billed as a package of support for the countryside.

GIVING people more say in running local services will require big changes in the attitude of London-based civil servants, warns a study.

THE government is calling on parish councils to safeguard struggling village shops and pubs.

ONE of England's biggest rural authorities is urging the government to rethink proposals to change the way councils receive payments through business rates.

DEFRA secretary Caroline Spelman has pledged to prioritise the needs of the countryside.

GOVERNMENT plans to speed up Britain's rural broadband are woefully inadequate, MPs have warned.

A NEW government network aims to give rural communities greater access to ministers and decision-makers.

THE government is under fire for reducing the amount of time MPs have to quiz Defra ministers.

SOARING fuel costs are taking centre stage as Chancellor George Osborne prepares his Budget for Wednesday (23 March).

The Labour Party has announced a major review of the challenges facing rural Britain.

RURAL residents are being hit hard by budget cuts forcing the withdrawal of vital public services.

A TOP Department of Transport civil servant has been appointed Permanent Secretary at Defra.

DEFRA insists it will not cut spending in other areas after reversing plans to sell off England's public forests.

AN INFLUENTIAL Tory MP has called for a fuel duty stabiliser to help rural drivers.

DAVID Cameron is re-launching his Big Society initiative, including a scheme to lend money to people who want to provide services.

THE intended abolition of regional strategies can be taken into account when making planning decisions, a court has ruled.

THE government's proposed Localism Bill must do more to help deliver rural economic growth, say business leaders.

DEFRA has published the budget allocations for the department and its arms length bodies for the next four years.

COUNCILLORS are to be freed from restrictions preventing them from championing local issues, says the government.

RURAL leaders believe 2011 could be a make or break year for countryside communities across England.

THE government has published long-awaited plans to give more power to local councils and communities.

TOP DEFRA civil servant Helen Ghosh has been appointed Permanent Secretary at the Home Office.

DAVID Cameron has launched a government website detailing departmental business plans and goals.

RURAL communities are calling for more support if they are to deliver the aims of the government’s Big Society.

ALMOST 200 public bodies are to be axed by the government amid claims that doing so could cost more money than it saves.

WAKEFIELD MP Mary Creagh has been appointed shadow DEFRA secretary by Labour leader Ed Miliband.

GRASSROOTS local democracy is at the heart of the government’s Big Society, a fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference was told.