Rural Housing Week

That this House marks Rural Housing Week beginning on 7 July 2025; notes that rural homes are proportionally more likely to be detached or built pre-1919 and therefore harder to heat efficiently, that rural households face deeper fuel poverty and higher energy costs than households in urban areas, that new private housing dominates rural development while affordable housing delivery lags, and that rural house prices remain higher than urban house prices; further notes that new homes must be built in locations safe from flooding and close to public transport to support sustainable communities; believes that all new homes in rural areas should be designed to meet high insulation standards and use heat pumps in order to save energy and reduce bills; calls for robust targets for reducing both embodied and operational carbon in rural housing; and urges the Government to set mandatory standards so that all new rural homes are genuinely affordable, climate-resilient, and fit for the future, ensuring rural communities can thrive while contributing to the UK’s climate goals.