22 Sep 2026
I was delighted to host the National Rural Conference for the Rural Services Network last week, with 8 sessions across 4 days and almost 600 delegates attending, it was the place to be to discuss rural policy.
The DEFRA Minister Jenny Riddell-Carpenter attended on Day 1 and shared her experiences as a rural MP for Suffolk Coastal. She highlighted the importance of the potential of rural Britain but also recognised that unlocking it requires government departments to work together, understand the distinct nature of rural disadvantage and design policies that reflect rural circumstances.
For me the theme running through so many of the National Rural Conference sessions was both simple and urgent: Effective rural policy requires an understanding of rural realities rather than urban assumptions about what rural service providers and rural communities face.
When policy is designed around dense populations, short journeys, large providers and easy access to services, it may look coherent on paper but fail when applied across rural England.
The challenge comes when the conditions in which policy must be delivered are different. Distance, sparsity, ageing populations, patchy connectivity, limited public transport and higher delivery costs interact with one another. Treating any one of these issues in isolation risks producing a partial answer to a connected problem.
We heard from Professor Tanya Ovenden-Hope on the Pretty Poverty report, Homeless Link on the challenges in dealing with rural homelessness, Devon County Council on the reality of trying to improve broadband connections across a sparsely populated geographical area. We explored numerous case studies of the reality that service providers face supporting their rural communities.
We also listened to the good work being done by Northumberland Library services to increase digital skills, research into adult social care in rural and coastal communities from University of Plymouth and London School of Economics, and Northumberland County Council with their Director of Public Health Report into rural inequalities.
The whole conference provided a focus for an understanding of rural realities, and policy solutions driven by evidence and deep understanding from our 37 expert speakers of the challenges they were trying to solve.
Good Growth Must Work In Every Postcode
The conference reinforced that rural England is not a niche interest or a single policy portfolio. It is home to millions of people, hundreds of thousands of businesses and a substantial share of the nation’s economic potential. Policies that overlook rural conditions do not simply disadvantage rural communities; they weaken national delivery.
If Government wants good growth in every postcode, rural postcodes need to be part of the plan.
As Government sets its sights on growth, living standards and public service reform this autumn, the RSN is setting out six priorities to ensure rural communities are part of the national ambition.
Economic Growth Does Not Happen In Isolation
Businesses need people. People need affordable homes. Communities need access to health and care. Workers and young people need transport and digital connections to reach employment, education and training. And local authorities need the resources to deliver the services and infrastructure that underpin thriving places.
As attention turns towards the months ahead, RSN believes six areas should be central to delivering good growth in rural England.
- Unlock Rural Growth
- Make Fair Funding Truly Fair
- Recognise the Rural Cost of Living
- Deliver the Right Homes in the Right Places
- Connect Rural Communities to Opportunity
- Make National Ambition Work in Every Place
You can read more about our 6 priorities for Government at this link
Thank you to all who attended the conference and contributed to discussions. And thank you to our conference supporters.
The breadth of discussions and expertise leaves me hopeful that we can make a difference for rural communities, if we work together to advocate on behalf of rural communities.
