Rural Related Politics - An RSN weekly review

Tuesday 4 March 2025

Westminster Hall Debate, The cultural heritage of market towns, Mr Bayo Alaba MP, Southend East and Rochford

The RSN team will be reviewing transcripts of each of the above and sharing with readers any relevant comments.

Insights From Last week:

SEND Education Support

A debate, led by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (MP for Suffolk Coastal), highlighted the escalating crisis in SEND education support, with specific emphasis on the challenges faced in rural constituencies like hers. The MP called for SEND reform to be a national priority and stressed the need for sustainable funding to cope with the growing demands of the system.

Leigh Ingham (MP for Stafford) raised concerns about the financial burdens schools face in self-funding assessments due to inadequate government support, stressing the need for collaborative efforts between health and educational departments to relieve financial pressures.

Rural areas, according to Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, have distinct challenges in SEND provision, including limited access to specialized resources and schools, which impacts the effectiveness of educational support. The inadequacy of local authority responses, highlighted by Suffolk's failure to deliver timely care plans, was noted as worsening the crisis, affecting children's educational and mental health outcomes.

The government's response, as discussed in the debate, acknowledged the severity of the issue but pointed to existing measures intended to address these challenges, including funding allocations and policy reforms aimed at improving SEND support across the country.

Read the full debate transcript HERE.

Provision of Affordable Rural Housing

The debate was initiated by Olivia Bailey (MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire), focusing on the severe lack of affordable housing in rural areas, which is threatening the sustainability of rural communities. Highlighted issues included the skyrocketing house prices and the scarcity of rental properties in rural villages, which force local families and young people to move away, affecting local economies and community life.

Jim Shannon (MP for Strangford) supported the need for legislative measures to enable residents born in rural areas to afford local housing. Caroline Voaden (MP for South Devon) highlighted successful local initiatives that involved community housing projects providing socially rented homes.

Rachel Taylor (MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth) discussed how rising rental costs prevent young people from living in their local rural areas, which hampers local economic growth. Lizzi Collinge (MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale) raised concerns about the impact of short-term lets like Airbnbs, which exacerbate housing shortages.