Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review: stage 2 - England case study

4. Regional and local rural support/policy infrastructure

Box 1 shows a timeline of organisational changes relating to rural development in England from 1909.

Box 1: Timeline of organisational changes relating to rural development in England

1909-1999 Development Commission, then Rural Development Commission (RDC)

1999-2006 Countryside Agency (merger of RDC with Countryside Commission)

1998-2012 Regional Development Agencies (took over the RDC’s regeneration work) – abolished by Coalition Government and functions transferred to LEPs

2006- Natural England (merger of English Nature with Countryside Agency (landscape, access and recreation elements) and Rural Development Service (environmental and land management functions of Defra, following Haskins Review)

2006-2013 Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) (advisory body on rural economies, rural communities and rural proofing) – abolished by Coalition Government

2011-2024 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) (local economic development agencies governed by business and local representatives. Funding withdrawn in 2024)

2011-2015 Defra’s in-house Rural Communities Policy Unit (established to replace CRC but soon dissolved into Defra’s Rural Policy Team)

When the Countryside Agency (successor to the Rural Development Commission) was abolished in 2006 (with a much smaller successor organisation – the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) – taking on some of its roles), responsibility for supporting rural development passed to new Regional Development Agencies (RDAs). In 2012, these Agencies were themselves abolished to be succeeded by Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) which tended to neglect rural areas (House of Lords 2019).

Moreover, from 2010, funding for local authorities was cut sharply under austerity policies leaving little scope for supporting rural development and necessitating centralisation or withdrawal of many public services. Over 10,000 parish councils survive at civil parish level, with powers including looking after community buildings, planning consultation, street lighting, and allotments, but these bodies vary considerably in their scope and effectiveness.

Fortunately, a strong local network of voluntary and community organisations remains across rural England, though this too is vulnerable to pressures on funding and volunteers. Foremost among these are 38 Rural Community Councils (RCCs) and some 10,000 village and community halls. The Rural Community Councils are charitable local development agencies, which lead, support and enable community initiatives, reaching over 35,000 groups and organisations annually. From running community transport schemes and oil-buying clubs, to assessing housing needs and supporting older people to stay in their homes, the 1,000 staff offer a range of skills, and support the 80,000 volunteers who run England’s 10,000 village halls. These are at the heart of rural community life – providing a hub for social activities, classes and services such as post offices, GP surgeries and shops, as well as community led local development (CLLD). Rural Community Councils are very diverse, attuned to the challenges and opportunities of their own county, some large and others small, some now covering urban as well as rural needs^[4], but during the last few years they have worked closely with ACRE to rebuild and re-energise the ACRE network around a shared mission, shared values, trust and mutual respect.

The Rural Community Councils have had to be adaptable and resourceful to survive for 100 years, particularly as government funding has decreased. Funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is still crucial in holding the network together and ensuring national coverage^[5]. Rural Community Councils draw most of their income from other sources these days, providing services to local councils, health boards and many others. Rural Community Councils also bid for funds from the National Lottery and public tenders, also seeking sponsors. Many would be vulnerable to further reductions or loss of Defra funding.

From 1990-2020, rural England also benefited from funding for community led local development under the European Union’s LEADER programme, with Local Action Groups (LAGs) established in many areas. At first limited to the most disadvantaged areas of Europe^[6], the LEADER programme eventually covered almost all rural areas of England, with 80 LAGs sharing a budget of 174million euros. Despite the LEADER programme being evaluated positively (see Section 4 below and Atterton et al., 2020), no successor Community Led Local Development programme was funded in England after EU funding ended: No Local Action Groups therefore are understood to survive in England.

However, Defra’s 2025 rural community funding, which includes £33 million through the Rural England Prosperity Fund, does provide support for improving local infrastructure and essential services that benefit rural communities and help rural businesses to expand. In particular, the funding will support the creation of rural business hubs, the development of new facilities or buildings to help businesses diversity, community gardens and greenspaces and improvements to premises used by local volunteering groups. Funding is also available for rural housing enablers, supporting the ACRE network, and for the Rural Community Asset Fund which provides capital funding for the refurbishment and development of community-owned assets, such as village halls or community centres.