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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!
Rural Affordable Housing
Rural communities are grappling with a severe affordable housing crisis, marked by high house prices, elevated living costs, and lower incomes, threatening their sustainability and vitality.
A new policy framework from the Rural Services Network Every person, in every place, deserves the chance to thrive — including those living in rural, coastal and small-town communities. The Rural Services Network is proud to...
A new report by Policy Exchange has called on the Government to commit to building 100,000 high-quality council homes annually—and its recommendations could have significant implications for rural areas. The report, Building Beautiful Council Houses ,...
A new evaluation of the Defra-funded Rural Housing Enabler (RHE) Programme has confirmed the critical role RHEs play in helping rural communities address the shortage of affordable homes. Commissioned by Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE)...
Wednesday 17 September 2025 | 13:30 – 15:30 Part of the National Rural Conference 2025 Bookings now open for RSN members: View the full programme Behind every statistic is a story. Data isn’t just...
Northumberland County Council has secured over £6 million from the government’s Brownfield Housing Fund to deliver new affordable homes on redundant and underused sites. The funding — totalling £6.075 million — represents more than a quarter of the...
A trailblazing community business in West Sussex is demonstrating how local enterprise can help shape inclusive, resilient places — right from the start of a new development. The Woodgate Community Shop, which opened in May 2024, is the first...
The term Rural Housing Enabler (RHE) comes up frequently in discussions about tackling the rural housing crisis—but what do they actually do? Rural Housing Enablers are independent facilitators who work with rural communities to help bring forward...
Rural Affordable Housing & Planning Tuesday 16 September 2025 | 10:00 – 12:00 Part of the National Rural Conference 2025 Bookings now open for RSN members: View the full programme Affordable housing is one of...
As one of England’s largest specialist rural housing associations, Hastoe knows only too well the huge and beneficial impact that building just a small number of affordable homes can have on sustaining village life and growing local rural economies. ...
Sophie Norton is a Sustainability Consultant at Turner & Townsend, and the Retrofit Information, Support and Expertise (RISE) subject matter expert for historic and heritage properties. Before joining Turner & Townsend last year, Sophie worked in heritage conservation...
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HOT TOPICS
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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