Money matters: tackling (rural) financial exclusion
Many people in the UK lack access to even the most basic financial services or are forced to rely on high-cost products which can prove damaging to their long term health. The ‘poverty premium’, where the poor pay more, exacerbates financial exclusion and reinforces a vicious circle. With many local bank branches disappearing and a […]
Mind the [rural] infrastructure gap
From the invention of the steam engine and World Wide Web, to splitting an atom and making a jet engine; for centuries we have been pioneers in infrastructure. But in a challenging fiscal and economic environment is the Government putting [rural] infrastructure at the centre of economic policy and industrial strategy? Jessica Sellick investigates. […]
How (agriculturally) innovative are rural places?
There are now a number of Government and industry initiatives and funding streams to support agricultural innovation in the UK. This is part of a commitment from Government to create more jobs and promote growth through its Industrial Strategy; as well as a commitment from industry to take ideas ‘from the lab to the market […]
The [rural] impacts of a better defence estate
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation supports the armed forces in building, maintaining and servicing the infrastructure needed to enable defence people to live, work, train and deploy. As the DIO seeks to implement its estate optimisation strategy, what are the implications of this ‘significantly smaller, more efficient and better quality estate’ for rural communities? Jessica Sellick […]
Are rural carers overwhelmed by need?
Carers or caregivers not only reduce demand on health and social care systems but they often do so with very little (if any) support. How can we better understand the role that carers and caregivers play – and what more can be done to recognise and support them, especially in rural areas? Jessica Sellick […]