Elevating Rural Voices: RSN’s Year of Impact

As the national voice championing rural services, the Rural Services Network (RSN) is proud to reflect on a year of meaningful progress, advocacy, and collaboration. In 2024/25, we continued to deliver on our mission to ensure that rural communities are seen, heard, and prioritised in national policy and decision-making.

Thanks to the steadfast support of our members and the dedication of our Executive Board, we've achieved milestones across our core pillars: representation, services, and research. Together, we’re championing the changes rural communities need to thrive.

View our 2024/25 Achievements Card

Representing Rural at the Heart of the Nation

At the national level, our advocacy work has remained relentless. In January 2024, we launched our Winning the Rural Vote campaign in Parliament—an initiative that evolved into Delivering for Rural, reflecting the political landscape and reaffirming our focus on rural priorities. This campaign continues to influence political discourse and highlight the vital role of rural communities in the UK’s future.

Our seat at national forums has strengthened too. RSN plays a key role in several national bodies and coalitions, including:

• The Rural Coalition
• The National Centre for Rural Health and Care (as a Board member)
• The National Rural Crime Network (as an Executive Board member)
• The DEFRA Rural Impact Forum
• The National Alliance for Cultural Services
• The Rural Homelessness Coalition

As the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Rural Services, we’ve brought key rural issues - like transport, digital inclusion, housing, and local funding - into the legislative spotlight.

We continue to challenge funding disparities that disadvantage rural councils and communities, pressing for fairer financial settlements to address the rising costs and limited-service provision in rural areas.

Delivering Services that Inform and Empower

Over the past year, RSN has ensured that members are equipped with knowledge, insight, and connections:

• Rural Bulletin: Delivered weekly to over 20,000 subscribers, packed with essential rural news and updates.
• Funding Digest: Monthly digests highlighting grant opportunities tailored to rural needs.
• Spotlight and Beacon Publications: 12 publications covering themes from the rural economy to housing and healthcare, including exclusive content for local councillors.
• Networking Events: 8 member-exclusive seminars, attended by 512 delegates, fostering shared learning and rural innovation.
• National Rural Conference: Our flagship event brought together 655 delegates across 4 days, featuring 30 expert speakers and 1,329 collective hours of rural-focused dialogue.
• Digital Switchover Sessions: In partnership with BT, we hosted 3 exclusive events with BT, offering guidance to 177 members on navigating the digital transition.

We’ve also intensified our analytical offering, providing local authority members with custom insights and statistics via our Members Insights portal, helping organisations benchmark, plan, and advocate more effectively.

Rural-Focused Research That Drives Change

Evidence-based advocacy is at the core of our work. This year, we helped drive forward the Reigniting Rural Futures report, developed by Pragmatix Advisory for the Rural Coalition, of which the RSN is a member. This research calls for targeted investment in rural productivity—critical for both local prosperity and the national economy.

We also continued our Rural Lens Reviews, assessing major government policies and strategies through a rural perspective. This ensures that proposed changes are understood in the context of rural needs, challenges, and potential.

Looking Ahead

As we look to the year ahead, the RSN remains resolute in its purpose: to elevate rural voices, advocate for fairer policy, and spotlight the immense potential within rural communities. The challenges are real—but so are the opportunities.

We thank our members, partners, and allies who make this work possible. With your continued support, we’ll keep championing the rural cause and advocating for the change rural communities deserve.