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Bookings are now officially open for the National Rural Conference 2025, which will take place online from Monday 15 to Thursday 18 September.
This is the Rural Services Network’s flagship event of the year, bringing together rural decision-makers, practitioners, and advocates for four days of live, interactive sessions focused on the future of rural communities.
Click here to book!
Fair Funding: RSN Makes The Case For Rural Local Authorities
The Rural Services Network (RSN) has submitted its response to the Government’s Fair Funding 2.0 consultation, which closed on 15 August. The RSN is the only national body dedicated to campaigning for fairer funding for rural local authorities.
This consultation is significant, as it will shape the future of local government funding for years to come. In preparing its response, the RSN gathered views from member councils and organisations across rural England.
Our message to Government is clear: the additional costs of delivering services in rural areas go far beyond extra travel time. Funding models must take into account the full range of challenges councils face — the lack of providers and the need to run services across multiple locations, to the higher costs and complexities of recruiting and retaining staff.
The reality of these challenges is clear when looking at the experience of Westmorland & Furness.
Case study: Westmorland & FurnessThis council’s experience highlights the difficulties rural areas face in commissioning and delivering essential services. For Independent Advocacy Services (IAS) for children and young people, contracts have been awarded to the same provider for the past decade. At the last tender in October 2022, no bids were received. The incumbent provider said the budget was insufficient and did not reflect inflationary pressures, while other potential providers reported it was not feasible to deliver within the budget – particularly if not already established locally. Following the failed procurement, the budget was increased, resulting in a single bid from the existing provider. Rurality and associated travel costs remain major barriers to finding suitable independent visitors to support children. Addiction services face similar challenges. Westmorland & Furness receives significantly less funding than more urban neighbours, where clients can often access affordable walk-in services. Recruitment and retention are hampered by travel demands between multiple treatment hubs, and the service must operate more buildings than an urban area to ensure coverage. Those living remotely are among the most vulnerable, yet many lack the means to travel to treatment centres in Barrow, Kendal or Penrith. Outreach is often reserved for the highest-risk individuals due to cost, creating inequities in access. Without additional funding to take services into local communities, unmet need will remain high. Cumbria’s drug and alcohol-related death rate is already significantly above the national average. Without fairer funding, engaging and retaining individuals in treatment will remain a serious challenge. |
As the national champion for rural services, the RSN will continue to press for a funding formula that recognises the full cost of rural service delivery.
Fair funding is where it all begins. It’s the bedrock on which every rural service stands — from transport and housing to health, care, and community life. That’s why our Fair Funding session opens the National Rural Conference on Monday 15 September. Join us as we lay the foundations for the week ahead, exploring how the right funding formula can unlock opportunity and enable rural communities to thrive. Find out more and book your place here.
