Rural England CIC has published its latest State of Rural Services 2025 report, which reveals consistent and wide-ranging disparities between rural and urban areas.
The report includes data captured up to the end of 2024 and shows the latest situation concerning service delivery and accessibility across areas including health and social care, transport, digital connectivity, education, and local infrastructure.
Hospital access remains harder for rural residents: 10% of rural respondents reported difficulty accessing hospital services, compared to just 3% in urban areas. The number of rural hospitals has fallen by 35% over the past 15 years.
GP access is more challenging: 13% of rural respondents reported difficulty accessing GP services, compared to 10% in urban areas. For residents of rural hamlets and isolated dwellings, the average minimum travel time to reach a GP by public transport (where it exists) or walking is at least 57 minutes.
Bus usage is at a historic low: In the most remote rural areas, buses account for less than 1% of journeys, with fewer supported routes and reduced frequencies.
These gaps are most pronounced in the most remote rural settings, where limited public transport, digital exclusion, and fewer service points combine to create a more challenging environment for service delivery and access.
Health and Social Care: There are 1,706 registered care homes in rural England, mostly in less sparse areas.
Children and Young People: Children and Young People: Rural areas have fewer childcare places per 100 children under five, and a lower share are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.
Digital Connectivity: Up to 22% of premises in the most remote rural areas do not meet the government’s ‘decent broadband’ standard of 10 Mbps.
Employment and Services: Only 13 Jobcentre Plus offices are located in rural settlements across England, limiting access for residents in more remote areas.
Libraries: 75% of libraries are in urban areas, leaving many rural residents reliant on travel or mobile services.
The report highlights how small, cumulative disadvantages in service access can add up to significant challenges for rural people and places. It points to the importance of flexible, place-based planning and investment that takes account of distance, density, and demography.
It also observes that where services have been lost or scaled back, many communities have responded with local innovation — including community-run shops, mobile libraries, and volunteer transport schemes.
Crucially, the report distinguishes between different types of rural settlements — such as villages, hamlets, and isolated dwellings – and finds that the most remote communities face the greatest barriers.
Graham Biggs, MBE, Chair of the Directors of Rural England C.I.C said:
“This extensive research shows clearly the challenges faced by rural communities in the range of services they can receive and the difficulties they have in accessing those which are provided.
This is the 4th ‘State of the Rural Services’ Report published by Rural England CIC (the others being in 2016, 2018 and 2021) and so a clear pattern of decline in many essential rural services can be seen. While there have been improvements in areas such as broadband and mobile connectivity, rural areas still lag significantly behind their urban counterparts.
Rural England CIC is calling on Government, through its Mission for Change, to address the challenges faced by our rural communities and businesses”.
The full State of Rural Services 2025 report is available to download here.
