Blog | Jessica's Rural Words

November 16 2014

Are our rural economies really working?

According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), there are 505,000 businesses in rural areas – around 28% of all businesses in England. Rural businesses are just as diverse as those in urban areas and contribute more than £211 billion to the UK economy but many have untapped potential. With ‘economic growth’ […]

November 3 2014

Is rural life so great outdoors?

A growing body of evidence demonstrates the contribution of green spaces to mental and physical health and wellbeing – from reducing symptoms of stress to increasing levels of communal activity and social capital. But it also suggests that some people are absent from or failing to reap the benefits from engaging with the natural environment. […]

October 26 2014

More spending control for local authorities?

With local authorities gaining more ‘control’ over spending at a time of ‘cuts’ and ever increasing spending ‘pressures’; what services should they be providing and at what cost? Jessica Sellick investigates. Back in March 2011, the government set up a review of local government resources to consider how to give local authorities more control over […]

October 20 2014

What role for local authorities managing the natural environment?

The natural environment includes a range of landscapes – from uplands to urban fringe and coastline – with many people appreciating local distinctiveness: from the historic (physical remains from the interaction between people and places through time) to the cultural (expressions of visual and spatial relationships such as public gardens, farmland and industrial sites). Yet […]

September 29 2014

A healthcare settlement for rural England?

In 2013, The King’s Fund established the ‘Commission on the Future of Health and Social Care in England‘. Chaired by Dame Kate Barker, the Commission explored what a new settlement for health and social care might entail at a time of growing demand and constrained resources. With the Commission’s final report published in September 2014, […]