Skip to content

Rural businesses struggle with lack of infrastructure and skills

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas are falling behind their urban counterparts, according to a new study.

A report by the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) and technology firm Xero found that small businesses based in the countryside struggled with poor public infrastructure and a shortage of skilled workers.

79 percent of rural SMEs reported being dissatisfied with public transport provision, compared to just over half in retail parks and 42 percent in towns, villages, and high streets. Moreover, just 56 percent of rural SME’s said they had access to reliable broadband, as opposed to 82 percent in urban regions.

Reflecting on the figures, Alex Veitch from the BCC pointed out that the existence of this urban-rural divide was a national problem: “High-quality public infrastructure and access to a skilled labour force are both key to the success of a business, in particular SMEs, and today's findings indicate that rural businesses are at a significant disadvantage.

“Government must urgently prioritise the development of public infrastructure.

“Such investment will not only enable local and small businesses to adapt and thrive, it will also create jobs and inject money into local economies across the UK.”

If you run a small or medium-sized business in rural Greater Manchester and want to grow your operations and revenues, GC Business Growth Hub’s #HereForBusiness package provides practical guidance and expert advice on a range of topics to help you manage the increasing cost of doing business.

If you have any questions, get in touch now.

--

#HereForBusiness is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Share this post

GenAI-Powered Chatbot