ENGLAND’S village halls face a fragile future, warns a report.

Use of community-owned buildings the countryside has trebled since 1988, according to research by Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE).

Findings from the charity’s 2009 national survey of rural community buildings were published on Thursday (12 November).

Previous surveys were conducted in 1988 and 1998.

Village halls have a crucial role in supporting local action and service delivery, says the latest report.

But the future for many buildings is fragile, it warns.

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.

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

The remainder generate their income through hire charges, services and fundraising support from the local community and parish councils.

The survey also includes feedback on support provided by ACRE's Rural Community Action Network to volunteers managing the halls.

Some 83% of hall committees seeking advice from the network rated it either good or excellent.

Sylvia Brown, ACRE chief executive, said looking after village halls fell almost entirely to local volunteers rather than local authorities.

“The traditional village hall still underpins much of community life in rural areas,” she said.

Village halls had an important role supporting local democratic participation and in helping rural people without transport access services.

“While public policy is focused on transferring new assets to communities, we are now very concerned to raise awareness of existing community owned assets that perform such a crucial role for local people.”

ACRE is calling on local authorities to recognise the contribution made by village halls to delivering local statutory objectives at little or no cost.

It believes a local register of rural community-owned buildings should be held in each local authority area.

At a national level, ACRE wants the government to explore the potential for strategic investment in support services for halls facing uncertainty.

Local government too must recognise the value of investing in a comprehensive proactive support service, it said.

This service should be tailored to the needs of individual village halls so their value to the local community was maximised and sustained.

Local government should exercise 100% rate relief on community-owned halls in recognition of their contribution to local well-being.

The Commission for Rural Communities said great credit was due to the unsung army of volunteers who ran village halls in the absence of local authority funding.

"Village halls and other community buildings are part of the essential fabric of rural localities and play an increasingly important part in the provision of vital services and facilities for the wider community," said a commission spokesman.

ACRE’s report raised important issues about the sustainability of village halls and highlighted the increasing role all levels of government could play in supporting them.

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Show/hide comments

Show/hide comment form