With party conference season well under way, the Labour Party has announced a range of new measures that, if passed, would have an impact on rural residents.

The Mirror reports that Labour has plans for a team of 200 new social welfare lawyers in law centres to ‘help people with benefits and debt’. £18 million would be put aside for free legal training and a further £20 million would create a new network of People’s Law Centres for families to seek support on everything from landlord disputes to unlawful employment practices.

The Guardian reports on a planned ‘NHS forest’ of a million trees a hospitals across the UK. The trees would help counter pollution and offset the NHS’ carbon footprint as well as providing therapeutic spaces for patients and staff to promote recovery and wellbeing.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the plans were part of scheme to make the NHS the greenest health service in the world.

→ Full article: 

Mirror: Labour plan army of social welfare lawyers to help people with benefits and debt

Guardian: Labour plan NHS forest of a million trees at hospitals