Yorkshire Times reports that according to new research commissioned by the Rural Services Network, if England’s rural communities were a distinct region, their need for levelling up would be greater than that of any other part of the country

The report, Rural as a region: the hidden challenge for Levelling Up, finds that the Government’s Levelling Up white paper metrics - used to identify the region's most in need of levelling up – are too urban focused and therefore do not properly account for the pressures facing smaller towns and villages, effectively side-lining 12 million people.

The disadvantages highlighted in the report include limited local employment prospects, poor transport networks and weak connectivity and calls for the Government to rethink its choice of metrics and include more rural-relevant indicators such as work placed based incomes, fuel poverty levels, access to further education and house prices relative to local earnings.

Full article:

Yorkshire Times - ‘Hidden Region’: Rural England Forgotten In Government’s Levelling Up White Paper