Greater digital adoption in rural areas could add £12 to 26 billion a year to the UK economy says new report.
Research by Rural England and Scotland’s Rural College, commissioned by Amazon, shows that greater use of digital tools and services could deliver 4 to 8.8 per cent of additional Gross Value Added per year for the rural economy
Annual business turnover in rural areas could grow by at least £15 billion, with rural microbusiness and small-sized business seeing the greatest returns
Report outlines five themes for the private and public sectors to help support this opportunity, including Rural Digital Enterprise Hubs, training and skills development and future support programmes targeting digital growth for rural businesses