Open Access Government has published an opinion piece on the ‘rural relevance’ to economic levelling up across the country

The report argues that current economic strategies lean towards an urban narrative with the rural agenda overlooked – despite the importance of resources, activities and people in these areas to the future economic strength of the nation.

The article references a report from the Rural Services Network, stating that rural areas in England contributed £260 billion of Gross Value Added to the national economy during 2018, accounting for almost a 16 per cent share of England’s economic output.

The report maintains that if the UK is to better utilise its overall resource base, its existing built assets and infrastructure and the whole of its population, then productive effort needs to be distributed more evenly.

Furthermore, it argues that the Government’s Industrial Strategy and the A Plan for Jobs strategy both fail to recognise that rural economies present great opportunities for the UK and this situation needs to be redressed if we are to ‘bounce back better’.

Full article:

Open Access Government - Rural relevance to economic levelling up