The rural Bulletin 5th March

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As we gear up for the announcement of the Spring Budget this Wednesday, our attention is squarely focused on its implications for rural areas. The Spring Budget's outcomes will significantly influence our activities and priorities this week, as we seek to ensure that the voices of our rural constituents are heard, and their concerns are addressed at the highest levels of government.
This week, we continue our exploration of the key policy areas of our Winning the Rural Vote Campaign. Our focus shifts towards an issue of critical importance to our rural communities: Rural Access to Health and Care Services. As we delve into this topic, we aim to highlight the unique challenges faced by rural residents in accessing health and care services, and the solutions that can help overcome these barriers.
In our commitment to broadening the scope of support and resources for rural communities, we are thrilled to announce our partnership with the newly formed National Alliance for Cultural Services. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in our efforts to enhance the cultural vibrancy and service accessibility in rural areas. You can read more about this exciting development here.
Last week, we hosted our RSN Rural Connectivity Seminar. This event, attended by 58 delegates, featured presentations from speakers representing Ofcom, Wildanet, and Cornerstone. Thank you to our members who attended and actively participated in the seminar. These seminars are an exclusive benefit of your membership, offered at no additional cost. They are part of our commitment to providing you with valuable opportunities to learn, engage, and influence the policies that impact rural communities. Details of our future events are available here.

Winning the Rural Vote: Prioritising Rural Health and Care ServicesEach week we are focusing on a different policy area within our 'Winning the Rural Vote Campaign' and this week we are exploring the Rural Access to Health and Care Services chapter.
The value of rural communities extends beyond their economic contributions; they are integral to the nation's health and social fabric. As we approach the next general election, the Winning The Rural Vote campaign shines a spotlight on the critical area of Health and Care Services in rural regions. This chapter emphasises the unique challenges rural residents face in accessing healthcare and the strategic actions needed to address these disparities, ensuring that rural health and care services are a priority.
Read more

Levelling Up?

Skills And Labour Shortages Hinder Rural Business Performance and Growth

Empowering Communities: Economic & Social Gains of Housing Initiatives

The Crucial Role of the Spring Budget in Championing Rural Areas

Local Government Partners Launch National Alliance for Cultural Services

Rural Related Politics - An RSN weekly review

Rural Brilliance: Beyond Cities in TV Production
Rural Studios' achievement in launching the latest adaption of Frankenstein nationwide from Herefordshire showcases the vitality and diversity of rural economies in TV production. Far from being the exclusive domain of metropolitan giants like London, rural areas like Herefordshire offer rich, untapped resources, unique settings, and fresh narratives that enrich the UK's entertainment landscape. This production not only highlights the talent and contributions of rural areas to the cultural sector but also emphasises the importance of embracing rural creativity. By partnering with the BBC on The Read, Rural Studios showcases the innovative potential of rural regions, contributing to a more varied and enriched media environment.
Read more...

Housing AffordabilityHousing Insights on the RSN website has now been updated with an analysis examining housing affordability. It provides local authorities in RSN Sparse Membership with the ratio of median house price to median gross annual workplace-based earnings as well as the ratio for the lower quartile.
Affordability of housing across England fell in 2021 to the lowest level in ten years based on these two measures. There has been some improvement to this situation in 2022, but the lack of affordable housing in rural communities continues to be an issue, and it is important for the sustainability of communities that key workers are not squeezed out of the areas that they serve.View this analysis here
House Building
Delivery of housing in rural areas is known to be an important factor in sustaining communities and maintaining the economic viability of local services. It can also be divisive where infrastructure and facilities are not developed in conjunction with these additional homes. House building is therefore a key factor in ensuring rural communities have the housing and facilities that they require. The analysis of house build starts and completions in the period 2009 to 2023 shows that Predominantly Rural areas of England are delivering as a proportion of total dwelling stock more private enterprise and more housing association starts and completions and more housebuilding in total, but fewer local authority house builds, when compared with Predominantly Urban areas. The rate of increase in all permanent dwellings being started and completed as a proportion of dwelling stock is also greater for rural areas during this time.
View this analysis here

Looking for funding for your local project or community group? Read the latest edition of the Funding Digest here

Read the latest Government Consultations that may be relevant to rural communities here

Member Insights is the place to discover the statistics that define communities within our membershipVisit the Members Insights here

Find out about our campaign for fairer funding for rural areas here
This includes our work on the Local Government Finance Settlement

The Rural Services Network encompasses a wide range of partners and organisations who all work together to help provide a voice for rural communities. Over 20,000 members belong to the network.
We represent over 500 organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors including leading national bodies, local authorities, utility companies, health trusts, housing associations, grass root community organisations and more.
The Rural Services Network is a membership organisation and includes different types of membership depending on the kind of organisation you belong to.For further details click here

This Rural Bulletin is published by the Rural Services Network and brings you a round up of our existing publications in one place.

If you have any comments on the Rural Bulletin, please contact us here.