Rural Economy In Focus

Last week, we brought members together for our latest RSN seminar, turning the spotlight on the rural economy, an area full of opportunity, but facing growing and often overlooked pressures.

The session opened with RSN Chief Executive Kerry Booth, who set out the wider picture drawing on our recent Delivering For All: Rural Realities research. Her message was clear: rural economies are making a significant contribution to national growth, but this is happening despite persistent challenges around workforce, infrastructure, investment and policy recognition.

Bringing A Rural Lens To Devolution

A strong theme throughout the session was the importance of ensuring rural economies are not an afterthought in national and regional decision-making.

Professor Jeremy Phillipson and Melanie Thompson-Glen from The National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) explored how this is being approached in the North East through the Coastal and Rural Task Force. Bringing together partners from across sectors, the Task Force is working to ensure rural and coastal communities are properly reflected in emerging devolution arrangements.

Their contribution highlighted a key point: rural areas make up a substantial part of many combined authority regions, but without a clear focus, their needs and opportunities can easily be missed.

A Changing Funding Picture

Katie Dalsgaard  from Cornwall Council offered a detailed look at the shifting funding landscape and what it could mean for rural areas.

While Cornwall has seen the benefits of sustained investment over time, there are real concerns about what comes next. Reductions in funding post-2026, alongside funding models that don’t always reflect rural realities, risk widening the gap at a time when investment is most needed.

The discussion also touched on how current approaches can unintentionally favour urban areas, particularly where they rely on metrics that don’t capture dispersed or “hidden” rural need.

Local Action, Real Impact

Bringing the discussion down to a local level, Lisa Courtney from Saffron Walden Town Council shared a practical and inspiring example of how rural economies can be supported on the ground.

From running markets and events to developing community initiatives like the Jubilee Hub, her presentation demonstrated the difference that strong local leadership, partnership working and community engagement can make.

It was a reminder that while national policy matters, local action remains a vital part of building resilient rural economies.

Looking Ahead

Across the session, one message came through strongly: rural economies are central to national growth, but too often operate within systems that don’t fully reflect how they function.

Challenges around skills, housing, transport and infrastructure are deeply interconnected and addressing them will require a more joined-up, long-term approach.

The discussion closed with a lively exchange between members, sharing insights, challenges and examples of what is working on the ground.

Thank you to all our speakers and members who helped make the session such a valuable and thought-provoking discussion.

Our next RSN Member Exclusive Seminar will focus on Rural Transport, taking place on Wednesday 3rd June, 11:00–13:00. Book your place here.