Dear Marie
With just two weeks to go until the National Rural Conference 2025, now is the time to book your place and be part of the conversation. With over 1,000 bookings already confirmed, the conference promises to bring together voices from across rural England to explore solutions on housing, health, transport, digital connectivity, and more. Remember: these are live online events and will not be recorded or shared afterwards, so to gain the full benefit you’ll need to join us on the day.
This week’s Bulletin features a wide range of issues that will also feed into our conference debates, from affordable housing and rural transport challenges in Lancashire, to childcare access, persistent ‘dental deserts’, and the findings of a major new study into experiences of racism in rural England. We also report on RSN joining 38 other organisations calling for an end to office-to-residential permitted development rights, which have prevented councils from securing nearly 28,000 affordable homes.
Our member update this week comes from Cornwall Council, which has launched a consultation on the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Marine Nature Recovery Framework. We always welcome further news and updates from members to feature in the Bulletin and on our website, so please do get in touch if you’d like to share your work.
With just two weeks to go, make sure you’ve booked your place at the conference and join us for what will be an important and engaging week of discussion.
Kerry Booth, Chief Executive, Rural Services Network
