Using the tools we've developed to identify disadvantage in rural communities we'll focus on inequity faced by key groups including children in poverty, low-income households, pensioners, and migrant workers.

We're continuing our work with the rural social justice coalition to champion issues of rural disadvantage and share good practice. We're also concentrating on discovering how to make a difference to the everyday life of people in rural communities, looking at:

• Health - we're bringing a specific rural perspective to the NHS review and the provision of dental services, and researching the effect of life-changing events on rural residents to identify how to improve service provision

• Community Initiatives - we're finding and sharing best practice for community enterprise and the role of the voluntary and community sector in rural service delivery

• Service provision - we're supporting the development of alternative ways to provide post office services, developing an initiative on rural schools’ provision in the context of demographic change and aiming to influence thinking on public service reform in rural areas

Our leaflet Access to services in rural areas summarises some of the issues rural areas face in accessing services