Not only has this provided us with some key intelligence about public services and amenities in rural England, it also demonstrates the strength of our community group.

A copy of the results can be downloaded here (27KB pdf file).

The results show that many services are quite hard to access and that public transport and affordable housing continue to fall short of the level required to meet community needs.

The information from this important survey will now be used in a report on the state of public services in rural England, which will be published by our parent organisation later this year.

But the debate doesn’t stop here – please feel free to let us know your views on the results or any of the subject areas raised by the survey in our forum area.

We would like this to become a ‘community of practice’ where our members can discuss the issues and showcase good practice in their own area.

So, if you know of a successful scheme in your area for providing better access to services, then let us know through our forum by clicking here (log in required).

Dan Bates
Performance director