Services located within, or provided locally to, villages and their surrounding areas are vitally important to the social and economic wellbeing of rural communities and contribute very considerably to the quality of life of their residents.

RSN is concerned both about the current levels of service provision to rural villages and about likely future pressures, particularly in the context of an ageing population.  To date, this important topic does not receive the level of attention that it warrants.  Accordingly, to facilitate better understanding and to raise the profile of village service needs at a national level, RSN intends to establish a membership group of Parish Councils to further this work.

In order ensure that The Rural Village Services Group is as inclusive as possible the membership subscription level will be set at a low level. Here are the details:-

Rural Villages Services Group – parishes in rural areas (generally of a population size of 2750 or above) containing a central village or villages from which there are local services (for instance shop, post office, church, village hall) flowing to the population of the parish.

• £70 per annum plus VAT for Local Councils of up to 2,750 population.
• £80 similarly plus VAT p.a. for Local Councils with 2,750 to 5,000 population.
• £90 plus VAT for parishes above 5,000 population.

It is intended members of the Rural Village Group will receive the following service:-

• Weekly edition of the Rural Bulletin, the RSN publication which includes relevant rural news and articles highlighting key issues affecting rural service delivery and communities.
• Monthly Funding Digest which sets out funding and grant opportunities along with key Government Consultations relating to rural areas
• An Area Profile of their Principal Council issued once a year setting out key statistics in relation to the rural area. This will help to give the overall picture of their local area to help plan services and understand local issues.
• Dedicated Rural Village Group Newsletter twice a year setting out key issues for rural villages for example rural transport, broadband, and affordable housing.
• An Annual Rural Poll (via Survey Monkey) seeking to establish the top (up to 5) issues currently facing Group Member Councils. The results to be reported to and fully discussed by the yearly meeting.
• Attendance at a yearly meeting of the Rural Village Group Membership (via Zoom) to consider key issues at a strategic level for rural villages. A second part of this meeting would consider Rural Vulnerability and its inter-relationship with Utility Company services.
• Involvement in the RSN Consultation Programme, this could include responding to Government White Papers, Call for Evidence and Select Committee Inquiries. Inaddition, they will help to develop the rural voice at a national level to ensure rural are represented. This would be in the form of surveys, calls for evidence / case studies.
• Cataloguing of good practice and learning material related to key policy areas and challenges or opportunities for rural parishes.