Wednesday 9th November saw a Backbench debate in the House of Commons on Levelling Up Rural Britain, introduced by Selaine Saxby MP from North Devon who opened the session by highlighting a number of challenges facing rural areas including a lack of connectivity, lack of school transport, difficulties in accessing health services, public transport and affordable housing, amongst others!

The Rural Services Network provided a briefing note to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Rural Services to ensure that Rural MP’s understood some of the key issues to be discussed.

Several of the MP’s quoted the Rural Services Network research.

Philip Dunne MP, Chair of the APPG on Rural Services said:

“The Rural Services Network, which supports the all-party group I chair, has provided a useful briefing on this debate for colleagues. It has found that rural areas receive 37% - £105—less per head in Government funding than their urban counterparts.

I strongly encourage the Minister to look again at the funding formula.

The Rural Services Network is offering some suggestions to encourage closer alignment of funding formulas with the reality of rural living, and to ensure that they reflect the increased cost of delivery in rural areas. I should be happy to discuss these issues with the Minister, through the all-party parliamentary group. In addition to the metrics already included in the White Paper, metrics such as the proportion of those in fuel poverty, the frequency of public transport services, the percentage of premises with superfast broadband and the distance to further education providers would all supply a more accurate snapshot of inequality in rural areas.”

Sally-Ann Hart MP:

“Research commissioned in 2021 by the Rural Services Network showed that wages are lower in the countryside, but that many living costs—fuel, travel and heating costs are higher. It is also more expensive for local authorities to provide statutory services due to geography, demographics and density of population. Local authority funding formulas do need to be reconsidered.”

Sir Bernard Jenkin added:

“I would add that the Rural Services Network recently reported that the cost of living crisis is worst in rural areas. Food and energy price increases are already putting rural food banks under huge strain.

Rural policy is crying out for a long-term strategic approach that will be sustained on a cross-party basis and so remain stable.”

Lee Rowley MP is the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and responded to the debate at the end:

“Although I am only 10 days into the job, I am very happy to talk to more colleagues about local government finance in general. I am keen to understand, to learn and to take the expertise that the all-party group and others have demonstrated over so many years to assist me in my role in the months ahead.”

You can see clips of the debate below:

The Rural Services Network also shared the following two pieces of research with the APPG MP’s:

• Pragmatix Advisory have done some research on the Levelling Up Missions and Metrics.  This research shows, that were England’s rural communities a distinct region, their need for Levelling Up would be greater than that of any other part of the country.  The report Rural As a Region: the Hidden Challenge for Levelling Up can be accessed at this link.
  
• Secondly, Kovia Consulting carried out research for us on the Cost of Living Crisis in Rural Areas.  This research found that Rural communities are facing a triple blow, as higher domestic and transport energy poverty, coupled with lower wages, pushes rural areas into a cost-of-living emergency.  The Rural Cost of Living Report can be accessed at this link.