The Labour Rural Research Group has launched a call for submissions to aid its forthcoming report on rural poverty, which will be produced with support from the Countryside Alliance.  

The work offers a timely opportunity to highlight the pressures facing rural communities, making a case for policy that reflects the lived reality of the countryside. Our submission to the Group draws on years of research, surveys and on-the-ground engagement, presenting clear evidence of the structural challenges that shape rural poverty and the urgent need for targeted solutions. 

A central theme is the ‘rural premium’: the additional costs that rural families face simply by virtue of where they live. From higher fuel prices to longer essential journeys, residents of the countryside routinely shoulder unavoidable expenses that urban households do not. With the transition to electric vehicles gathering pace, the Alliance argues that road taxation and charging infrastructure must not disadvantage those who need private transport most. 

Rural businesses – vital economic and social pillars of their communities – also remain under intense pressure. Inflation, energy costs and squeezed consumer incomes have created a precarious environment for small shops, farm businesses, craft producers, and the tourism and hospitality sectors. Many of these concerns were highlighted in the landmark report by APPG for Rural Business and the Rural Powerhouse, The Rural Premium, to which the Alliance contributed. As our submission makes clear, safeguarding rural enterprise requires stability in taxation, regulation and long-term land-use planning. 

Housing and heating remain critical drivers of rural deprivation. Shortages of affordable homes are limiting opportunities for families and young people, and off-grid households face disproportionate heating costs, compounded by historic gaps in government support schemes. The Alliance continues to advocate for fair tax treatment on heating oil and for a pragmatic approach to boiler transition that protects rural residents. 

Our submission also addresses rural crime – still a major concern for a great many countryside residents – and sets out how better enforcement and the implementation of existing powers could make a meaningful difference. Likewise, we highlight the distinct mental health challenges experienced in rural communities, from service accessibility issues to the cultural isolation felt by many respondents to our surveys. 

Finally, we draw attention to important new research, including The Pretty Poverty Report: Cornwall Rurality Matters, which challenges the suitability of the current Index of Multiple Deprivation in rural contexts. 

You can read the Countryside Alliance’s full submission to the Labour Rural Research Group here. The LRRG also states that “both organisational and individual contributions are welcome,” so we would encourage anyone with further evidence or experience to make a submission of their own.