Access to Services

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27 Nov 2017

Urgent call for hospital transport review

Older people are facing huge difficulties getting to routine hospital appointments, Age UK has warned. The charity has called for a review of non-emergency patient transport services – and wants...

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24 Nov 2017

Funding ‘vital’ for rural post offices

Government funding for post offices is vital to maintain rural services, says Citizens Advice. People in rural areas are more likely than their urban counterparts to depend on their local...

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23 Nov 2017

Council’s plea for fairer rural funding

NORTH Yorkshire County Council has called on the government to give long-term fairer funding to large rural counties. Council leaders warn that with the prospect of austerity continuing through to 2022, the...

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20 Nov 2017

RSN – Rural watchdog badly missed

Government policies continue to fail communities in sparsely populated areas, the Rural Services Network has warned. RSN chief executive Graham Biggs issued the warning as he gave evidence to a...

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15 Nov 2017

Concern over rural policing levels

Concerns over rural policing levels have been raised with Chancellor Philip Hammond ahead of this month’s Budget. East Cleveland MP Simon Clarke met the Chancellor to highlight community concerns about how police...

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13 Nov 2017

County councils call for fairer funding

COUNTY councils have called for a new deal to end the “postcode lottery” of government funding for rural areas. New statistics suggest England’s 37 county areas collectively received £3.2bn less than...

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13 Nov 2017

Decline in services threatens rural life

Rural life is in decline because countryside pubs, schools and post offices are closing, says a report. Building just a few affordable homes for young families could enhance England’s towns...

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11 Nov 2017

Broadband boost for rural Yorkshire

A pioneering superfast broadband project is benefiting rural communities in North Yorkshire. North Yorkshire County Council is investing more than £12m from its funds, for the next phase of the...

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30 Oct 2017

Biofuel ‘could heat rural homes’

Many rural homes could be heated by vegetable oil within the next five years, claims an industry report. Rural homes currently heated by oil could switch to a renewable alternative,...

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27 Oct 2017

Council to tackle rural fuel poverty

A major project to tackle rural fuel poverty is to be funded by one of England’s largest county councils. The iniaitive is being funded by North Yorkshire County Council to support those...

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