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RURAL business leaders have welcomed a grant scheme to connect firms to faster broadband. Defra released a new wave of pre-Brexit grant schemes to help rural areas in England get connected to superfast broadband on Saturday (29 July). ...
Rural businesses are still struggling to get reliable mobile phone coverage and access to internet services, a survey reveals. Some 85% of farmers asked have unreliable mobile signals – despite more smartphone users having access to 4G coverage. ...
Business owners are being asked to help "unlock" the digital potential of rural Britain. The request comes at the start of a consultation launched by independent think tank Rural England and Scotland’s Rural College. It aims to help...
A government fund to 'unlock' £1bn for fibre broadband will do little for rural areas seeking faster connections, say campaigners. The new Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund aims to make internet internet buffering and painfully slow download times a thing...
Almost 3,000 remote households and businesses will get access to high-speed broadband thanks to a £4m boost for Oxfordshire The funding has come from cost savings made earlier in the roll-out of the Better Broadband for Oxfordshire programme and...
MORE rural communities are signing up to a BT scheme bringing faster broadband to hard-to-reach areas. Through its Community Fibre Partnership programme, BT has made a commitment to help communities in challenging areas find a fibre solution to faster...
Rural businesses have welcomed a government decision to drop its Making Tax Digital plan from the Finance Bill. The plan would have required businesses to submit tax information online rather than on paper. Many small rural businesses had warned...
ONE in ten people are dissatisfied with their broadband service, reveals a report. Some 92% of mobile customers, 89% of landline telephone customers and 87% of broadband customers were satisfied with their service. But 13% of broadband customers...
Fibre is the best way to bring broadband to rural areas – but it is also the most expensive, says Daniel Heery. I recently found myself driving to the heart of Northumberland on a cold bright Spring day to...
Ofcom has announced measures it says will promote investment in new fibre broadband networks. The telecoms watchdog says it wants to protect broadband customers and promote competition, by cutting the wholesale price that Openreach can charge telecoms companies for...
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Amid reduced public spending, fair resource allocation across regions is crucial. Despite a population larger than Greater London, rural areas receive significantly less funding for essential services, even though delivering these services in rural areas is more expensive.
Economic growth is widely acknowledged as essential for national wealth and prosperity and is a priority for political parties. Rural economies, employing millions and home to a higher proportion of small businesses, have potential for growth if barriers are removed.
Rural residents face distinct healthcare challenges, including limited access to transport, longer distances to medical facilities, an aging demographic, housing inadequacies, digital connectivity gaps, and difficulties recruiting health and care workers.
Rural communities are grappling with a severe affordable housing crisis, marked by high house prices, a lack of affordable housing, elevated living costs, and lower incomes, threatening their sustainability and vitality.
Transport is vital for the quality of life and economic health of rural areas, yet it faces challenges such as infrequent public bus services and less Government funding compared to urban regions.
Rural areas, encompassing a substantial portion of England's population and land, play a pivotal role in combating climate change and achieving the net zero target.
In an increasingly digital world, the lack of robust digital infrastructure in rural areas severely limits access to crucial services and stifles economic growth.
A future-focused vision for rural communities involves not just building the right homes in the right places but also ensuring thriving, sustainable communities.
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