England’s uplands have special significance for their contribution to rural economies and their key role in landscape conservation, recreational activities, biodiversity, heritage and water management.

Our wide-ranging inquiry is:

• identifying and evaluating the key drivers of change in England's upland communities

• developing and promoting realistic policy recommendations that enable and equip these communities to move towards more secure, economically prosperous and sustainable futures

Download our leaflet about the inquiry

Watch our short film introducing the inquiry

Download the timeline for the inquiry

Read the detailed inquiry plans as agreed by our Commissioners

Find out more about the inquiry panel

View the 'Developing the English Uplands' report

Read an update on the progress with the publication of the final report for the inquiry

Our call for evidence has now closed, but we've had a great response. Your views, ideas, and first-hand experiences will help inform our report to the Government, which will recommend actions to give our uplands a more promising future.

We also held a series of inquiry panel hearings across every region of England containing uplands. Download the hearing summaries:

West Midlands, 18-19 February

Yorkshire, 10-11 March

North East, 18-19 March

East Midlands, 25-26 March

South West, 23-24 April

North West, 19-20 May

To supplement our findings we also commissioned research to build and extend the range of responses.

Download the research report 'The views of the communities'

For more information about the inquiry, email us at uplandsinquiry@ruralcommunities.gov.uk