Rural Services Network - Rural Services Network

BROADBAND speeds in the countryside continue to languish behind those in larger towns and cities.

North Yorkshire Police is stepping up the fight against countryside crime with a new rural watch scheme.

RURAL residents are being urged to help bring superfast broadband to North Dorset.

WORRYING ambulance response times in rural areas are going unnoticed, an influential MP has warned.

THE government says it is continuing to look at ways of improving rural broadband services.

THE government's communications watchdog has outlined measures to safeguard rural postal services.

THE Post Office is to launch its own current account in a move that could benefit rural communities without a regular bank.

INADEQUATE funding for public services is among a raft of challenges faced by countryside communities.

A new Rural Health Network has been established following a ground-breaking “Challenging Times” conference in Nottingham last autumn.

LOCAL policing teams have been provided with two new all terrain vehicles to help them cover hard to reach rural areas.

THIRTY village halls will be provided with wireless internet under plans unveiled by a rural district council.

RURAL communities must not be unfairly disadvantaged by the Budget, the Rural Services Network has warned.

THE government's localism agenda is having little impact on the ground, suggests a report.

PUBLIC funding should be used to attract investment in superfast rural broadband networks, says a report.

MORE funding is urgently needed to train volunteer drivers to keep vital community transport schemes on the road, say charities.

COUNCIL tax bills are higher for rural residents than they are for people in predominantly urban areas, the government has confirmed.

ALMOST three-quarters of residents are satisfied with the way local councils run services, reveals a report.

HIGH-SPEED broadband moved a step closer for Buckinghamshire, which wants a company to lay cables in areas with slow or no connections.

The government says it is again considering whether to reduce fuel duty for rural motorists.

FIVE police forces took part in a joint operation to crack down on rural crime across almost 4,000 square miles of northern England.

THE Rural Services Network has welcomed a government promise to do more to support and manage the extra costs of delivering public services in the countryside.

RURAL residents in Lancashire have some of the UK's fastest internet speeds after creating their own community broadband network.

PEOPLE are being urged to lend their support to a bid to bring superfast broadband to rural Durham.

HIGHER fuel prices paid by rural motorists are not the result of foul play, says the government's competition watchdog.

THE government says it accepts that rural areas are underfunded when it comes to delivering public services.

RECENT approval for the upgrade of the UK's rural broadband network has been welcomed by distance learning service providers.

RURAL leaders have struck a deal they say will bring faster broadband speeds a step closer for the countryside.

RURAL job hunters are being given passes allowing them free bus travel in Northamptonshire.

THE 300th community-owned shop has opened, marking a significant increase in community-owned rural services across the UK.

RURAL leaders are joining forces with the police to combat countryside crime in Devon and Cornwall.

LIFE-SAVING equipment is being made available to rural communities across East Anglia, thanks to the Co-operative Society.

SATELLITE broadband is essential if internet speeds are to be speeded up in rural areas, believes a government minister.

A NEW initiative will see police officers dedicated to tackling offenders who target farms and rural communities in Suffolk.

AN £87,000 boost looks set to help a community spirited village provide a new post office and affordable housing.

A MAJOR milestone was reached when the government's rural superfast broadband programme connected its first village.

BUS funding in much of England has seen a second year of significant cuts, claim public transport campaigners.

FARMERS can use red diesel in their tractors to help grit and clear snow from public roads during extreme weather, the government has confirmed.

A LOCAL authority has agreed to keep the cost of new affordable housing at the same rate.

RURAL communities are set to benefit from a new injection of funding to help revive their villages through community enterprise.

A new toolkit aims to help improve understanding of the issues surrouning the commissioning and delivery of rural health services.

HEALTH professionals and eminent academics convened in Nottingham for the birth of the new Rural Health Network.

PRESSURE on public funding threatens to put rural communities at risk when it comes to fire and rescue services, warns a report.

BRUSSELS has agreed that the government can be granted state aid approval to roll out faster internet connections across the countryside.

THE government has pledged to strike a balance between improving rural transport and protecting the countryside.

BRITAIN'S slowest broadband speeds continue to be found in market towns and rural areas, confirms a report.

RURAL areas have fewer police officers per head of population than urban areas, it has emerged.

RURAL crime – from metal theft to livestock rustling – will top the agenda at a police conference.

THOUSANDS of street lights are being turned off by local authorities, reveals a survey.

RURAL residents are being urged to reduce their fuel bills by saving energy as part of a new national awareness campaign.

BUSINESS leaders have unveiled a manifesto spelling out rural needs when it comes to cutting crime.