Rural services

The first funding round for the Scottish Government's Aspiring Communities Fund closes on 7 April 2017. 

The new Fund is intended to enable community bodies and third sector organisations in Scotland's most deprived communities to develop and deliver long-term local solutions that address local priorities and needs and build on the assets of local communities.

Community researchers, University of Stirling researchers and Age Scotland want to hear your views on quality of life in later years.

They are currently carrying out online surveys to gather the views of people in Scotland who are aged over 50 years.

The Consumer Futures Unit (CFU) of Citizens Advice Scotland held a 'Rural Futures' conference on 1 February 2017.

The event took place in Edinburgh. A keynote speech was delivered by the Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity Fergus Ewing, in which he addressed the main conference themes of fuel poverty, water supply and postal services in rural parts of Scotland.

In a follow up Q&A, delegates posed questions on a variety of subjects including wind farms and digital connectivity.