From the isolated village where I live you can catch a minibus to the nearest supermarket, seven miles away. On the return journey it will drop you and your shopping off right outside your front door. That’s service for you, but, as you will have gathered, this is no ordinary bus route.
It is operated for and by the community and thrives at a time when, right across the countryside, countless bus routes and other rural amenities are disappearing. As well as the supermarket run, our little electric buses go to seven other destinations within a 15-mile radius, including doctors’ surgeries and town centres.
There is even a daily shuttle service for commuters to and from the train station. Villagers without cars do have to regulate their lives around the limited timetables, but they no longer feel isolated from the rest of the world.
What a contrast to the bleak findings of the State of Rural Services 2025 report, published by the independent and not-for-profit research body, Rural England CIC, which reveals that gaps in infrastructure, funding and access continue to create real disadvantages for country people. Bus services, it states, are at an historic low.
When the public transport single-deckers were re-routed to bypass my village a decade ago, locals took action, as community groups have done in many other rural areas, and not only to provide seats on buses.
With shops, pubs, post offices and hospitals vanishing at an alarming rate, volunteers are constantly attempting to bridge the gaps being created in these vital aspects of rural life.
But not everywhere can rely on voluntary effort and the report urges the government to do more.
“Every person deserves access to essential services – but this report shows that people in rural areas face bigger challenges to reach the same standards of healthcare, childcare, transport and digital connectivity,” says Kerry Booth, chief executive of the Rural Services Network.
“These are not luxuries but basics that allow communities to thrive. Government must recognise these gaps and commit to ensuring fairness for all, no matter where people live.”
When I put the report’s findings to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, a spokesperson said: “We want local people to be able to take back control of their area. Our £5 billion Pride in Place programme will give almost 250 areas – including rural villages – up to £20 million to create real change – with new green spaces, restored parks and community centres.
“The locations were chosen in order to target the most deprived areas across the country. Our major planning reforms will also get Britain building again and build the infrastructure these communities desperately need.”
This is the fourth State of Rural Services report since 2016 and it shows a pattern of decline in many essential services. Here are some key findings:
- During the past 15 years, 35% of rural hospitals have closed with 10% of rural people reporting difficulties in accessing hospital services, compared to 3% in urban areas. The average travel time to a GP is 57 minutes, or more in the most remote areas.
- In hamlets, buses account for less than 1% of journeys, leaving many reliant on cars or community transport
- While gigabit broadband [download speeds of at least 1,000 megabits per second] now reaches 74% of rural premises, 22% of isolated homes still can’t access a 10 Mbps connection.
- Almost half of rural convenience stores are the only shop in their community, underlining their importance as lifelines.
- Only 13 Jobcentre Plus offices across England are in rural settlements, so access to welfare support is limited.
- With childcare and youth services, rural families face fewer places, longer journeys and a lower share of Ofsted-rated ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ provision than urban families.
In my village, we’re lucky to have a shop/post office and campaigners are striving to raise capital to reopen the pub as a community venture. It’s a hard slog, but they can take heart that there are now 245 such pubs across the UK.
Like my village bus service and so many other projects, they will survive only if they are well supported. If they’re not, and cutbacks continue, our countryside will be a bleaker place.
