We’ve been asked by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to provide regular reports about the impacts of the economic downturn on rural businesses, employment and households.

Topics: credit-crunch rural-economies recession market-towns rural-places financial-inclusion affordable-housing employment housing rural-experience 

Our work on financial poverty links to our work on financial disadvantage, and builds on the findings of our disadvantage study.

Topics: rural-advocate fuel-poverty children-and-families training skills financial-inclusion disadvantage disadvantage 

Financial exclusion is a real challenge in rural areas. Financially excluded people living in rural areas are less visible and more difficult to reach than those in urban areas.

Topics: financial credit-union financial-inclusion post-offices social-exclusion financial-poverty fuel-poverty financial-inclusion state-of-the-countryside rural-economies 

Another of our on-going work streams, this programme focuses particularly on the needs of rural areas suffering from economic under-performance and to seek employment-related solutions on skills, migrant workers and young people...

Topics: credit-crunch rural-economies rural economies empowerment recession commission migrant-workers rural-places financial-inclusion economic-wellbeing 

In addition to our annual State of the Countryside report we recognise the need for more detailed, topic-focused updates, produced as new data and information is released...

Topics: young-people education state-of-the-countryside housing financial-inclusion upland-communities uplands data data older-people 

This project helps the Rural Advocate, Rev. Dr. Stuart Burgess, keep in touch with issues affecting rural communities, businesses and individuals, particularly those suffering disadvantage.

Topics: rural-advocate young-people commission fuel-poverty rural-governance transport rural-places major-life-events economic-wellbeing rural-economies 

We're investigating Financial Disadvantage, examining the delivery in rural areas of one or more of the benefits/tax credits system, the National Minimum Wage and initiatives to assist with banking/credit/debt.

Topics: fuel-poverty financial-inclusion children-and-families disadvantage social-inclusion 

Details of some of our work on the future of rural post offices...

Topics: post-offices financial-inclusion rural-services access-to-services post-offices rural-services access-to-services crime-and-policing best-practice