Hinterland
Rural News
Kinder Scout trespass: How mass action 90 years ago won ramblers roaming rights
We still have a very contested countryside and not everything about the impact of National Parks is seen as universally good. I think we will still be talking about the issues at the heart of this story in a further 100 years. It tells us: On 24 April, 1932, a group of young workers decided […]
Councils in England are failing to use new powers to block shoddy housing schemes
Whilst most of the examples here are urban I can think of some very bad rural examples. This story tells us: A survey revealed last year that 41% of councils do not employ any urban designers, and 76% lack access to any advice on architecture. The change to the country’s planning rules was part of […]
Zahawi’s English schools white paper leaves many in sector underwhelmed
I think there is more to this White Paper than commentators give it credit for. Primary schools are still strongly represented in rural settings and it has some very interesting areas of focus in that context. The document, entitled “Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child”, did include at least one […]
BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine wades into Bromyard backwards D row
We have hundreds of small towns across England, by my count almost 40 in Lincolnshire alone. I would be really interested apart from the “Elephant test” ie if its got flappy ears and a trunk its probably an elephant! How you would define a rural town? This article reflects a specific campaign, of which I […]
Eric Chappell: Grantham-born Rising Damp writer dies aged 88
Just to prove there is more to Grantham than one famous MP….!!! Eric Chappell, the creator of hit TV sitcoms Rising Damp and Home to Roost, has died aged 88. Chappell, who was born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, in 1933, had several novels rejected by publishers before he decided to become a playwright. He went on […]
Free access to cash ‘should be set in law’ for rural communities
Whilst a story with Scottish roots this article is deeply relevant to rural communities where a lot of people still want to use cash as well as e-payment methods. It tells us: Chancellor Rishi Sunak is under pressure to legally enshrine free access to cash in rural areas, after more than a fifth of ATMs […]
End of free Covid testing could put vulnerable at risk, say UK experts
I worry about the implications of this story for those rural communities with high populations of vulnerable people who are also distant from secondary and some case primary health care. It says: Come the end of March, the lights will dim on the UK’s Covid epidemic. Despite infection levels rising, cases will plummet, as free […]
East Yorkshire and North Norfolk to get £36m to tackle coastal erosion
If you got to Spurn Point (island) or Happisburgh you’ll see in some detail why this cash is needed. I have worked with both local authorities featured here and I think they will drive out some very innovative solutions with this cash. The article explains: Two councils will be given £36m to tackle coastal erosion. […]
Home wood burning in UK causes £1bn of health costs a year, report says
If you burn a shovel full of coal on a multi-fuel burner you’ll get a sense of why this is a relative, albeit still very serious issue: The air pollution from wood burning in homes is responsible for more than £1bn a year in health-related damages in the UK and €10bn (£8.5bn) across the EU, […]
Body set up to police UK housebuilding not representative, say critics
We now live in an era of relentless scrutiny of who is entitled to speak on issues rather than what the individuals say. I am sure there is some validity to these comments nonetheless. This story tells us: A new government-backed body set up to police the building industry faces claims that it lacks representation […]
Research finds nature sounds ‘benefit mental health’
I have no doubt whatsoever about the truth of what this article has discovered. It tells us: Research has found the sounds of nature could help people’s mental health. Data was collected from more than 7,500 people as part of the BBC series Forest 404 – a podcast that depicts a world without nature. Participants […]
Expensive badger cull should be ended, study says
Whilst all eyes focus on Ukraine, the world continues to turn on homespun, but nonetheless important issues. This is one ongoing divisive rural issue in this context. A badger cull intended to control bovine tuberculosis (bTB) outbreaks has not worked and should be ended, a study has suggested. The decade-long plan that started in Gloucestershire […]