Meet The Voices Shaping Rural Transport

Wednesday 3 June | 11:00–13:00 | Online

We're looking forward to welcoming an excellent line-up of speakers to our upcoming RSN Member Exclusive Seminar on Rural Transport.

Transport remains one of the most significant challenges facing rural communities, affecting access to employment, education, healthcare, services and social opportunities. This seminar will bring together experts from consultancy, government and the community transport sector to explore innovative approaches, emerging policy developments and practical solutions for improving rural connectivity.

You can view the full seminar agenda here.

Peter Ramsey

Technical Director, Future Mobility, WSP

Peter Ramsey is a Technical Director at WSP with a background in transport and town planning, and more than 25 years' experience in consultancy.

Working within WSP's Future Mobility capability, Peter provides strategic advice to local, sub-national and national clients on emerging transport challenges, opportunities and change. A significant focus of his work is on rural areas, where he specialises in developing practical, evidence-led responses to accessibility challenges facing countryside and coastal communities.

Peter has led and advised on rural mobility strategies, pilot programmes and Local Transport Plans across England, whilst also applying a rural lens to a wider range of transport studies.

Robert Singleton

Head of Planning, Department for Transport

Robert Singleton is Head of Planning at the Department for Transport, where he leads work on integrating transport, land-use planning and sustainable connectivity.

He plays a key role in developing national planning policy, tools and evidence that help planners understand how effectively places connect people to jobs, services and everyday destinations. Robert also leads the Spatial and Transport Planning Professions work across the Department for Transport and its Arm's Length Bodies.

Gill Cleeve

Chief Executive Officer, VASA

Gill Cleeve is CEO of VASA, a community transport and wellbeing charity operating across Warwickshire since 1979. VASA connects people in rural and semi-rural communities with the medical appointments, services and social connections they need to live well, delivering nearly 20,000 journeys a year through a network of volunteer drivers using their own vehicles.

A former Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon, current town councillor and trustee of two charities, Gill has worked in the charity sector for decades in both the UK and Canada. She leads VASA's strategic development and convenes the Rural Transport Task and Finish Group for Stratford-on-Avon District Council, helping to inform Warwickshire's Local Transport Plan.

Gill is a passionate advocate for rural communities and the vital role community transport plays in enabling access to essential services.

Join the Conversation

The seminar will conclude with an open forum discussion led by Kerry Booth, Chief Executive of the Rural Services Network, giving members the opportunity to share experiences, challenges and examples of good practice from their own areas. The discussion will focus on the realities of delivering effective transport solutions in rural communities and the role transport plays in supporting wider economic and social outcomes.

As with all RSN seminars, this is a member-exclusive, interactive session and is not recorded, providing a valuable opportunity for open discussion, peer learning and direct engagement with expert speakers.

RSN members: If you or a colleague have an interest in rural transport, connectivity or accessibility, we encourage you to attend and be part of the conversation.

Book your place here today.