Three's Rural mobile broadband giveaway

A mobile phone operator is giving away 3G broadband to rural areas struggling with slow landline connections. The Three UK company has teamed up with countryside campaigners to give away mobile internet connectors in rural areas of poor or non-existent broadband.

County's mobile library services under review

Suffolk has become the latest county to review its mobile library services. Mobile library services are provided by Suffolk County Council in areas not directly served by a static building-based library. But the local authority must make big savings and is examining ways of delivering services more cost effectively

Rural council plans 8,000 new homes

A rural district council has unveiled ambitious plans to build 8,000 affordable homes. Covering much of south Warwickshire, Stratford-on-Avon District Council hopes to build the homes over 20 years. The proposed housing growth figure – recommended unanimously by the council's cabinet – would see homes built across the district.

Fly-tipping costs £40 million a year

Fly-tipping costs taxpayers more than £40m last year, according to new figures. At least 656,000 incidents of unlawful rubbish dumping were recorded in England and Wales between April 2010 and March 2011. The figures we obtained by the Countryside Alliance under the Freedom of Information Act.

Communities hit by 'double whammy'

Countryside communities receive a lower government grant and pay more council tax for few public services, says a report. Rural local councils receive 50 per cent less government grant per head of population than urban authorities, reveals the study.