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 

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: housing credit-crunch rural-economies rural economies empowerment recession commission migrant-workers rural-places financial-inclusion 

Housing in rural areas, and particularly the availability of affordable housing, is a critical issue, and a key issue for the CRC.

Topics: housing state-of-the-countryside rural-communities rural-economies commission rural-places affordable-housing recession rural-experience sustainable-communities 

What's the future for rural communities in the context of changing demographic, environmental and land use pressures, including housing, planning and transport?

Topics: rural-places rural-proofing sustainable-communities affordable-housing planning credit-crunch recession rural-economies transport housing