Analysis & Commentary
28 Apr 2014
Boosting support for rural jobs and growth
Jessica Sellick examines the national framework for the LEADER method of delivering Rural Development Programme (RDP) funding. With the requirements and expectations for the next programming period (2014 to 2020)...
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06 Apr 2014
£320m ‘Transformation Challenge’ – How your local authority can apply
HOW local authorities can apply to the government’s £320m fund to help councils transform local services. THE government has launched a £320m ‘Transformation Challenge Award’ it says will help councils...
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05 Apr 2014
Creative countryside – reproducing or redefining ‘rural’?
What does the future hold for the arts in rural areas? Jessica Sellick investigates. WHAT does the future hold for the arts in rural areas? Jessica Sellick investigates. With the...
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24 Mar 2014
Way forward for rural social enterprise?
SHOULD LEPs set distinct rural or social enterprise objectives, or should they mainstream those issues through their other objectives? Brian Wilson finds out. SHOULD LEPs set distinct rural or social...
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24 Feb 2014
Climate change and social justice
The impacts of climate change and policies to adapt to climate change may have unequal repercussions, including for vulnerable groups, finds Brian Wilson. The impacts of climate change and policies...
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16 Feb 2014
‘No decision about me, without me’?
Jessica Sellick looks at the changing face of healthcare and rural patient pathways. With cottage hospitals under threat, a shortage of doctors and dentists, lack of out of hour’s services...
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14 Jan 2014
Is the rural ‘Big Society’ delivering?
What can we learn from ‘Big Society’ approaches to delivering rural services? Jessica Sellick investigates. Back in 2010, the Prime Minister launched the ‘Big Society’, heralding a culture change where...
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13 Jan 2014
Getting to grips with rural public health
In rural areas some aspects of the public health agenda may be easier to address than others, discovers Brian Wilson. In rural areas some aspects of the public health agenda...
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25 Nov 2013
Going the extra mile – resolving the rural transport challenge
PUBLIC transport is simply non-existent in much of the countryside. So what is the future for our rural communities? Cars, buses, trains, bicycles are a crucial part of everyday life...
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18 Oct 2013
Green energy for rural areas
RENEWABLE energy offers a number of attractive alternatives for rural communities. Theoretically renewable energy is the way forward, it’s better for the planet, it’s usually cheaper and there are various...
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