How can we stop a rural debt spiral?
On 8 November 2017 the Treasury Committee announced a new inquiry into household finances. The Committee will look at the state of UK household balance sheets (including savings levels) and examine indebtedness, inter-generational issues, lifetime financial planning and the effectiveness of the market in providing finance and solutions to low income households. The inquiry comes […]
Policing in the countryside – what more can be done to stop rural crime?
The Metropolitan Police Act 1829 established the Metropolitan Police of London (with the exception of the City), replacing the previous system of parish constables and watchmen. The County and Borough Police Act in 1856 led policing to become a requirement throughout England and Wales, paid for by central Government funds distributed to local government. By […]
Being homeless in the countryside – an invisible issue?
Having nowhere stable to live (a home) can affect a person’s ability to live, work, enjoy and get on in life. Finding yourself with very little money, where every day is a struggle, can be seen as something that happens to someone else. Yet in 2015/2016 some 6,270 households were homeless in rural Local Authorities, […]
What future for adult education in rural communities?
Back in July 2016, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Adult Education published a report it had commissioned from the University of Warwick into the needs of adult learners. The research highlighted learning taking place in education and training institutions (online and offline), the workplace (on and off-site) and in community settings; suggesting this diversity plays […]
A (renewed) policy focus on island communities in the UK…?
While islands are areas of land surrounded by water, many are little more than barren rock with few plants on them and others are amongst the most crowded places on Earth. The largest British island is Great Britain which is the ninth-largest and third most populated island in the world. There are also some 32 […]