Latest News
26 Jun 2023
MP calls for new post-pandemic approach to tackling loneliness
Following on Loneliness Awareness Week, Tracey Crouch MP (Chatham and Aylesford, Con) this week called on the Government to refresh the Loneliness Strategy she launched in 2018: “We started the...
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26 Jun 2023
NFU survey results show rural areas still significantly behind national averages for broadband and mobile connectivity
This week the NFU published its latest survey results into broadband and mobile connectivity. The report highlighted the lack of progress being made in both areas, with only 21% of...
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26 Jun 2023
Traders in a rural town say they’re experiencing cash shortages caused by bank closures
Traders in Bromyard, Herefordshire, have told the BBC that the town has been left short of cash and ‘forced to travel miles with their takings’ after the last bank closed...
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26 Jun 2023
Fears that rural communities will be hit by changes to DIY waste charges ban
There are fresh concerns that a new ban on charges to dispose of DIY waste in England will push up costs for rural households. Following a consultation, the Government announced...
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26 Jun 2023
New scheme aims to tackle planning officer recruitment issues
The Government this week announced a new £1.59 million grant to fund and support a pilot scheme aimed at getting graduates into the planning sector. The Pathways to Planning Programme...
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26 Jun 2023
Retrofit bootcamps are back!
Following the successful spring bootcamps, the Social Housing Retrofit Accelerator (SHRA) has launched further in-person sessions this summer. The free events deliver a CPD-accredited Retrofit Essentials course over one day,...
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20 Jun 2023
Going Mobile: New report by Mobile UK reveals 21% of us only access internet through smartphone
A new report by Mobile UK, the industry body for the UK’s Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), has highlighted the growing digital divide between urban and rural areas. ‘From Exclusion to...
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20 Jun 2023
RSN Members help combat loneliness
Last week our members joined the leading UK loneliness charity, The Marmalade Trust, to mark Loneliness Awareness Week 2023. Braintree District Council held a ‘Stop and Chat’ pop up in...
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20 Jun 2023
Government commits to strengthening local care systems
Following the publication of two key reports, the Government has committed to several measures to support Integrated Care Systems (ICS). The Hewitt Review and the Health and Social Care Committee...
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20 Jun 2023
Changes to DIY waste charges hoped to help combat fly tipping in rural areas
Over the weekend, the Government announced that charges to dispose of DIY waste at household waste recycling centres would be scrapped. Around a third of Local Authorities still charge for...
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