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Rural Areas: Cost of Living

Asked by Blake StephensonConservativeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 30 October 2025UIN 84705

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the rural premium on rural communities.

Answered by Dame Angela Eagle

Defra regularly publishes statistics on a range of social and economic topics and provides broad comparisons between Rural and Urban areas by settlement type. These are available through The Statistical Digest for Rural England.

This Government is committed to improving the quality of life for people living and working in rural areas, so that we can realise the full potential of rural business and communities. We have made a commitment that all policy decision-making should be rural proofed to ensure that rural areas are not overlooked and that the intended outcomes are deliverable in rural areas.

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