DISTRICT COUNCIL JOINS NEW RURAL SERVICES PARTNERSHIP

Stratford District Council has joined a new campaigning organisation, Rural Services Partnership (RSP), launched in London this week to lobby for more government support for better public services in rural areas.  

The RSP has been set up by SPARSE, the coalition of 60 of England's most rural local authorities, to bring together all the providers of rural services, such as the police, fire, health care, housing associations, colleges and transport. The District Council is also a member of SPARSE.   

"The RSP - which has the support of the Commission for Rural Communities, the Government's own rural watchdog, and several other national organisations - will provide a new, strong, loud and clear voice for all rural service providers," said Councillor Trevor Russel, the District Council's Deputy Leader.  

"It will focus on the broad sweep of public services in rural areas, and provide a joined-up approach to tackling the issues important to the most rural areas of England, which include Stratford District, to support SPARSE's case for a fairer deal for us.  

"All too often, the extra costs of providing services in rural areas are not represented, or are understated, in Government funding formulae. Very many nationally set targets are simply inappropriate for rural areas.   

"The RSP can count on the District Council's full support to get a change of mindset in Whitehall, and reverse the bias against rural areas. Otherwise problems with rural service provision will persist, and councils like ours will continue to lose out to the urban authorities."  

Cllr Russel said he hoped that other service providers in Warwickshire - including the county council, and police, fire and health services - would join the RSP to form a common front.