Rural Services Network - Rural Services Network

MORE than half of England's local authorities are set to reduce funding for supported bus services.

TWO rural counties are among those reportedly ready to give people more power to improve their local area.

A VILLAGE shop - believed to be the smallest community-owned store in Britain - has opened in Yorkshire.

LOCAL people will be able to take control of community-owned assets bought with money from central government.

GOVERNMENT plans to close more than 100 courts have been branded insensitive to rural needs.

RURAL bus services are being axed due to public spending cuts, campaigners have warned.

RURAL communities should be a test bed for the government's Big Society approach to improving local services, says a report.

THE government has confirmed its funding settlement for local authorities, insisting it offers a fair deal to protect services.

THE countryside plays a significant role in the life of the United Kingdom, says a report.

MOST councils remain confused by the government's Big Society agenda, reveals a study.

THE soaring cost of rural heating oil is to be investigated by the Office of Fair Trading, the government has confirmed.

RURAL areas could receive better value broadband services under proposals by the government's telecoms watchdog.

LOCAL authorities to receive an extra £560m for sustainable transport projects that create economic growth and reduce carbon emissions.

CALLS are mounting for a cut in fuel duty if the government's proposed ‘price stabiliser’ proves impractical.

NEW measures aim to widen and speed up mobile broadband coverage in the countryside.

LOCAL authorities will see their spending power cut by an average of 4.4% next year - but some will lose as much as 8.9%

RURAL residents wanting to run their own post office can now turn to their own website for help.

THE government has unveiled plans to speed up rural internet connections as it strives to create Europe's best broadband network.

RURAL library services are facing closure as local authorities struggle to make ends meet.

SOME 40 rural market towns will benefit from BT's latest plan for super-fast broadband, claims the telecom giant.

PEOPLE will be able to elect representatives to oversee their local police force, the government has announced.

RURAL people will be hard hit by plans to change the way bus operators are reimbursed for allowing over-60s to travel free.

EUROPE'S first satellite dedicated to delivering broadband services has launched successfully.

A BROADBAND comparison website claims to have identified the village with Britain's slowest internet connection.

THE Archbishop of Canterbury has warned the government against cutting vital rural services.

A HEREFORDSHIRE pub dubbed the greenest pub in England has reopened after being closed for five years.

LOCAL authorities are being urged to take an innovative approach to services following the government's spending review.

FOUR rural areas have been selected to pilot the next generation of high-speed broadband in the countryside.

Analyst Robert Bullard looks at the impact of the government's spending review on rural areas.

RURAL local authorities are likely to be among those hardest hit by cuts in government spending, suggests a survey.

PLANS to turn the Post Office into a mutual could benefit rural communities, according to experts.

A £132m project to bring super-fast broadband to Cornwall will transform the county’s rural economy, claims telecom giant BT.

RURAL households who face difficulties keeping warm this winter are more likely to suffer poor health, warns a study.

THE government is likely to miss a key target to speed up rural broadband, a Tory MP has warned.

CARRIER pigeons have proved faster than rural broadband in a stunt to highlight poor internet connections.

AN INTERNET charter aims to tackle problems caused by a lack of broadband access in rural areas.

RURAL post offices set up in shops, village halls and mobile vans are under threat of closure, claims a consumer watchdog.

INADEQUATE broadband is jeopardising England’s rural communities, a Tory MP has warned.

POLICE have given a tractor a blue light and stripes to combat rural crime.

RURAL doctors have warned they face burnout as they prepare for the latest round of NHS reorganisation.

AN online guide aims to help local authorities improve rural public transport.

THE government has scrapped the Place Survey in a further move to “release councils from Whitehall control”.

RURAL consumers are being shortchanged by internet providers when it comes to broadband.

TWO rural local authorities are to merge a number of services in a bid to save council taxpayers £30m.

LOCAL fire services are to be granted more powers under plans announced by the government.

TWO rural local authorities are to merge a number of services in a bid to save council taxpayers £30m.

RURAL residents in Lincolnshire can now benefit from a scheme to help them reach places for work, training or education.

GOVERNMENT plans allowing local communities to deliver their own services are to be piloted in rural Cumbria.

RURAL leaders have expressed anger at delays to the roll-out of faster broadband connections.