The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published its autumn performance report for 2004, showing progress against public service agreement targets.
Source: Autumn Performance Report 2004, Cm 6396, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf) | DEFRA press release
Date: 2004-Dec
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published a five-year strategy. Specific measures set out in the strategy included a Bill providing new powers to tackle litter, fly-tipping, graffiti and abandoned cars; retailer recycling, involving a new partnership with supermarkets and local authorities to increase household recycling; action to make schools, homes and workplaces more energy efficient, and help business save energy and save money; and changes to planning guidance to enable more affordable rural houses to be built where they were needed.
Source: Delivering the Essentials of Life: Defra's five year strategy, Cm 6411, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 8 December 2004, column 98WS, TSO
Links: Strategy (pdf) | Hansard | DEFRA press release (1) | DEFRA press release (2) | DEFRA press release (3) | DEFRA press release (4) | DEFRA press release (5) | HOC Library research paper (pdf) | CBI press release | SEC press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Dec
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on the 2004 Annual Report of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Source: The Departmental Annual Report 2004: Government Reply to the Committee's Report, First Special Report (Session 2004-05), HC 100, House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response | MPs report
Date: 2004-Dec
A report said that homelessness was growing more quickly in the countryside than in urban areas. It called on councils throughout England to double council tax for second home owners, and for more affordable homes to be built in rural areas.
Source: Nicola Robinson, Priced Out: The rising cost of rural homes, Shelter (020 7505 4699)
Links: Report (pdf) | Shelter press release | RHT press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Nov
Plans for a Modernising Rural Delivery Bill were included in the government s legislative programme for the Parliamentary year 2004-05 (Queen's Speech). The Bill would strengthen the protection of England's natural resources and streamline support for rural areas. It would provide for a New Countryside Agency, an independent body integrating English Nature, the Countryside Agency and the Rural Development Service.
Source: House of Lords Hansard, Queen's Speech 23 November 2004, columns 1-4, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 25 November 2004, columns 246-330, TSO
Links: Text of Speech | Lords Hansard | Commons Hansard | Bill summary
Date: 2004-Nov
A report said that local authorities needed to think rural when setting their local public service agreement targets, to ensure they covered rural issues.
Source: Tom Entwistle and Gareth Enticott, Researching the Rural Dimension of Local Public Service Agreements, Countryside Agency (0870 120 6466)
Links: Report (pdf) | Countryside Agency press release
Date: 2004-Nov
The government published a strategy designed to increase the number of passengers using rural rail lines. Key elements were the involvement of local communities in supporting and developing the lines, and increasing passenger volume through better marketing strategies.
Source: Community Rail Development Strategy, Strategic Rail Authority (020 7654 6000)
Links: Strategy (pdf) | DT press release | Transport 2000 press release | Ramblers Association press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Nov
An article argued that the neglect of rural homelessness in England stemmed from the inappropriate application of traditional methods for estimating rough sleeping in rural locations.
Source: David Robinson, 'Rough sleeping in rural England: challenging a problem denied', Policy & Politics, Volume 32 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2004-Oct
The government announced a new support package to help rural post offices. Up to 300 million would be made available from 2006 to 2008, extending the existing three-year financial support package.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 16 September 2004, columns 165-168WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard | DTI press release | Postwatch press release (pdf) | Help the Aged press release
Date: 2004-Sep
A report said that transport schemes that helped rural people get to hospitals and family doctor surgeries brought many extra benefits for patients, and could also help health and social care providers save public money. But such schemes had serious problems attracting long-term funding and support, because service providers generally were unaware of the contribution they made.
Source: The Benefits of Providing Transport to Health-care in Rural Areas, Countryside Agency (0870 120 6466)
Links: Report (pdf) | Countryside Agency press release
Date: 2004-Sep
A survey found that satisfaction on the part of individuals and business in rural areas with key services (including health, transport and education) was on a par with levels in urban communities.
Source: Survey of Rural Customers Satisfaction with Services, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (08459 556000)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary | DEFRA press release
Date: 2004-Sep
A study (by a group of more than fifty of the most sparsely populated local authorities in England) found that rural dwellers in England paid more council tax than those in cities, but received fewer services in return. Spending in less populated areas was 10 per cent below average, although residents were paying 2-3 per cent more.
Source: Rural Council Tax Gap, Sparsity Partnership for Authorities delivering Rural Services (01584 813201)
Links: Guardian report | SPARSE homepage
Date: 2004-Aug
The proportion of homeless households in rural England rose by just under 30 per cent between 1999 and 2003.
Source: The State of the Countryside 2004, Countryside Agency (0870 120 6466)
Links: Report (pdf links) | Summary (pdf) | Defra press release | Countryside Agency press release | CPRE press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jun
The Strategic Rail Authority began consultation on plans to increase usage of local and rural branch lines, by encouraging 'community ownership' arrangements.
Source: Community Rail Development: Consultation paper on a strategy for community railways, Strategic Rail Authority (020 7654 6000)
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | SRA press release | Transport 2000 press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Feb