VILLAGE halls can make an important contribution to the rural economy, says a report.

Community buildings have a significant impact in areas where there are few local jobs and training opportunities.

They are also important where land-based wages are traditionally low and services are difficult to reach due to a lack of public transport.

The report, The Economic Impact of Community Buildings in Rural Communities, was published by Action with Communities in Rural England.

“Investment in rural community buildings has a multiplier effect,” says the document.

Building works create local employment, new halls initiate community activity and help the development of services,

Taken together, these attributes have important social benefits and create further employment.

“Targeted investment will help community buildings deliver these multiplier effects [and] weather the economic downturn.”

Some 90% of rural community buildings are charities run by local volunteer trustees and heavily reliant on fundraising, the report says.

“Nonetheless, they support a range of local jobs and provide a wide range of services and activities which reduce public expenditure.

“They deliver policy outcomes at low cost, such as childcare, health and wellbeing, stronger communities and environmental sustainability.”

The full document can be downloaded here (pdf file).

With a total asset value of over £3 billion, England’s 9,000 village halls represent the country’s largest network of community-owned facilities.

Volunteers work an average of 18.5 hours each week to run their local hall – the most significant factor in keeping the building open.

But only 3% of halls receive regular funding from their local authority.

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (3)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Show/hide comments

Village Halls
written by Yvonne Dumsday, August 03, 2010

Even though our East Yorkshire village already had church halls, a school hall and a scout hall, the conversion of a semi derelict building , in the heart of the village, by the Parish Council into Swanland Village Hall proved to be a great assett. It is used at some time of most days of the year for activities new to the village, therefore not taking business from the other halls and being a centre for the whole community to see live shows, films, festivals; toddlers activities, indoor tennis training, yoga, tai chi, bridge. It has provided a venue for the branch library. Without this facility, Swanland would be a much poorer place in which to live. Long Live our Village Halls.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Colin Fletcher, July 21, 2010

I am delighted to see the importance that this report attaches to village halls but I'm sorry that it ignores the role of village churches, which are also public buildings, largely maintained, financed and run by volunteers - and there are at least as many of them as there are village halls. Also they are places where an increasing number of activities are taking place that have nothing to do with worship. Here in Oxfordshire those include farmers' markets, concerts, parties, parish council meetings and the like. Only when we stop thinking of them as two separate enterprises and rather view them as complementary will villages really benefit in partnership working for the future

• 
• +2
• 
• 

Village halls are the heart...
written by chris Conder, July 16, 2010

I agree, the institute hall in our village is the heart of our community. The school uses the main hall for plays and preschool group activity. The village holds parish council meetings in it and shows. The villagers have built an online centre in it from kit from skips and run a computer club in a side room with free internet access for the people who can't get connections at home. The doctors have a surgery in it every week. We raise the funds to keep it going by holding a scarecrow festival every year. Many volunteers keep village vibrant...

• 
• +6
• 
• 

Show/hide comment form