Empowering rural communities to tackle environmental and economic shocks

Following a report last year to the Prime Minister on releasing the potential of Englands rural economies, the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) is staging a series of rural economies summits. Rural practitioners are meeting in Taunton on Monday 9 November to look at how rural communities can be empowered to tackle environmental and economic shocks.

The summit will include presentations from the Blackdown Hills Business Association, Business Link South West, the Development Trusts Association, High Bickington Parish Council in Devon and the Somerset Community Foundation, to illustrate the successes and challenges of empowering rural communities, organisations and businesses. Case study films showcasing successful rural organisations will also be on view Blackdown Hills Business Association and Cornwall Care.

Early next year, the CRC will draw together the findings from the series of summits at a final, national, event. This will result in a set of recommendations to be presented to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Prime Minister on further ways of strengthening rural economies, and preparing a path towards recovery from the recession.

Core Facts

Rural businesses make a huge contribution to the nations and regions economies. To focus the attention and activity of government, agencies, regional and local leaders on this important issue, the CRC has organised summits on innovation, inspiration, investment and empowerment.
The latest summit is looking at how rural communities can be made more resilient following earlier economic and environmental challenges.
This summit also aims to demonstrate how rural communities can be supported and empowered to stimulate new economic activity − especially important given the impact of the recession and likely future pressures on public spending.
We're also keen to hear about how the potential of rural areas can be realised through positive support and facilitation to rural entrepreneurs, rather than relying solely on top-down programmes.

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Rural businesses already make a huge contribution to the nations and regions economies and my report to the Prime Minister highlighted the scope for further potential to be realised. In a bid to focus the attention and activity of government, agencies, regional and local leaders on this important issue, the CRC has organised summits on innovation, inspiration, investment and empowerment. We want those taking part today to focus on how rural economies can be made more resilient following recent challenges, and on what will be needed from the public and voluntary sectors to empower rural economies and communities in a period of lower public spending.

Dr. Stuart Burgess, Chairman of the Commission for Rural Communities and the Governments Rural Advocate

"Our rural areas face many social, environmental and economic pressures but inherent characteristics of self-help and independence of spirit offer fertile ground for empowerment. Whether in the imaginative re-use of a redundant farm building to create new businesses, the rallying of a community to replace the village shop, or the growth of high-tech businesses using the internet to trade with the world, our rural areas are a far cry from the rustic stereotype. "In truth, there is tremendous diversity among our region's rural business base which includes a wealth of expertise in advanced engineering, tourism, the creative industries and the land-based sectors."

Sir Harry Studholme, Chairman of the South West Regional Development Agency