Rural Services Network - Rural Services Network

CHANGES in housing benefit rules threaten to break up rural communities, a report has warned.

PROPOSALS to modernise the process of recording rights of way have been unveiled by the government.

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

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.

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

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

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

EFFORTS to preserve a 'picture postcard' countryside are turning rural villages into wealthy ghettos, claims a rural housing expert.

MPs have demanded that ambulances respond quicker to life-threatening rural emergencies.

EMERGENCY procedures have been put in place to help local communities facing floods.

BUDGET reductions have forced a review of local bus services in Leicestershire.

PEOPLE living in rural coastal areas have the highest life expectancy in England, confirms a study.

RISING fuel prices mean more people are going hungry to heat their homes, a rural councillor has warned.

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

RURAL communities across England are stepping up the drive for better broadband connections.

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

RURAL residents are being urged to take action ahead of an expected increase in theft and burglaries.

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?

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

Training up a cohort of community volunteers as library staff has brought benefits in Wiltshire.

Co-locating a branch library with a social enterprise brings multiple benefits in Shropshire.

Mobile libraries in east Yorkshire provide the same quality of services found in branch libraries.

How Cornwall Council used a cost-effective solution to offer a quality libary service to rural communities.

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

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

LESS than a week remains to respond to a call for evidence of the challenges faced by remote communities.

A SECOND round of funding is now open under the Village SOS scheme.

SUPPORTING local shops and community facilities are among key plans for a market town.

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.

COMPETITION watchdogs should investigate high rural fuel prices, the government has been told.

UP TO £100m is available to help households keep warm during 2012/13 – the last year of the Warm Front scheme.

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

BRITAIN'S best 50 places to live are highlighted in a survey of rural areas with the best quality of life.

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

MARKET towns are set to be among the beneficiaries of a £1m fund to help revitalise Britain's high streets.

PLANS to reform the local bus subsidy system have been welcomed by Britain's biggest bus operator.

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

RURAL residents are warned to be vigilant following a spate of thefts of gas cylinders across the country.

A NEW broadband scheme aims to boost business in the North Yorkshire market towns of Malton and Norton.

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

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

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

A RURAL local authority is employing the latest crime fighting technology to help deter metal thieves.

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

RURAL bus routes could fall like skittles this year due to a double whammy of government cuts, a local authority leader has warned.

VILLAGES and small towns are bearing the brunt of police station closures, reveals a survey.

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