Community
Farming Churches Affordable Housing Migrant Workers
Planning
Rural Pubs:
Training in a rural area: Six young men who started the spring with
no jobs or prospects have new skills, achievements and hope for the future
-thanks to a pioneering north
Media Coverage of the
Countryside About 80 per cent
of
Rural proofing of
Vehicle Excise Duty. The CLA have launched a campaign to call for Rural
Proofing – starting with Vehicle Excise Duty. The rural economy experts say that
the additional Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) announced at the last Budget mean those
who are struggling financially in the countryside will be hit hardest by the
tax. expressdigest.org.uk [accessed
18/7/08]
Warning of rural
fire risk: Fires similar to those
that have plagued parts of
Community Empowerment in Local Government This White Paper (July) contains proposals which will affect the way the local services in rural villages are delivered. It proposes more opportunities for communities to take on the management and ownership of local facilities and assets, with a new fund to encourage them. An independent review, the Quirk Review, will look at how to overcome the barriers to community ownership and management of assets. Local charters will allow communities and their councils to agree the services to be provided.
Eco Towns Asked whether eco-towns will count towards a local authority's building targets as set out in regional spatial strategies, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Caroline Flint said: “we are expecting eco-towns to contribute significantly to meet revised targets in the emerging regional spatial strategies and have assured local authorities which include an eco-town in their future housing plans that it will count towards current and future housing targets, which in many cases are likely to be more stretching”. (Hansard Co.1064W. 3/7)
Suffolk ACRE commissioned research gives a detailed picture of deprivation in
Cambridgeshire Post Office
closures: The rural post offices on the closure
list are:
Granchester, Stulpfield Road; Fen Drayton, High Street; Impington, Station Road; Arrington, Hardwick Arms, Ermine Way; Elsworth, The Causeway; Over, High Street; Soham, Hall Street; Ely, St John's Road; Little Downham, Main Street.
State of the Countryside Report
2008 States that the population of rural
Car sharing Carshare
Norfolk has been set up to provide a free matching service for all those who
live, work and travel in and around
Norfolk County Council
launched new approaches
to safety on rural roads on 12th August. Measures to be trialed in an area of
north-east
A
green derestriction sign to warn drivers they are entering the minor road
network where not all hazards will be
marked.
Half-metre run-off strips added at key points on fast A
roads to give errant drivers more chance to regain
control.
Hi-tech innovations such as chasing chevrons on tight
bends.
Removal or guarding of some roadside trees and clearance
of undergrowth from verges,
Reducing speed of traffic through villages by cutting
sign clutter and enhancing the village
environment.
Short, sharp village speed campaigns using temporary
vehicle-activated signs and enforcement [accessed
15/8/08]
The Broads Authority have launched a strategy to restore lakes to
meet government targets in 20 years’ time. The plan is initially funded by the
government part of a national water framework directive. Andrea Kelly, the
author of the strategy,said that if nothing is donethen we would lose a lot of
the
Food Security Discussion
Paper The purpose of
this Defra discussion paper is to encourage debate on this important issue. The
views received on this discussion
document and from a series of expert workshops and stakeholder events will inform a more detailed statement of food security policy, that Defra intend to publish later in the year.
Honeybees have suffered catastrophic losses this year,
according to a survey of the nation's beekeepers, contributing to a shortage of
honey and putting at risk the pollination of fruits and vegetables. The survey by the British Beekeepers'
Association (BBKA) revealed that nearly one in three of the
The National
Farmer's
The Soil Association wants to get every child to visit a working
organic farm by the time they are 11 as part of an effort to get people to value
agriculture more highly. With fewer than 1 per cent of the population working in
agriculture – one of the lowest levels in the world – Britons are among the
least capable of feeding themselves, and there is growing concern at an
over-reliance on food imports. Just over 60 per cent of the food consumed by
Britons is produced domestically, but overall self-sufficiency has dropped by 21
per cent since 1995 with imports rising over the same period. More than 90 per
cent of fruit eaten here is imported, compared with 40 per cent in
Food Security On July 7th the Government Strategy Unit
published its final report on food. It sets out a series of proposals that will
be taken forward within Government.
DEFRA will be leading work with the agriculture sector to look at ways to
mitigate and adapt to climate change, with the food supply chain to reduce food
and packaging waste, and with stakeholders in the food system—primary producers,
food manufacturers, retailers, and consumers—to develop ideas for the
future. These and other proposals
will be implemented through a new Food Strategy Task Force. (Hansard 7/7
Region's farm land prices soar. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said that nationally the value of farmland had gone up by 24pc during the first six months of the year - the biggest increase recorded since its surveys first began in 1995. However, purchases by non-farmers, including lifestyle buyers, fell by 10pc during the six months to account for just 27pc of all land changing hands. Instead, farmers and agricultural businesses were again the dominant buying force, as sharp increases in commodity prices continue to prompt farmers to expand production. Rics spokesman Julian Sayers said: "Ever-rising commodity prices have pushed the price of farmland to record highs as farmers and investors compete for arable land. www.foodeast.com [accessed 4/8/08]
The ‘Give Disease the
Boot’ campaign is being
run to provide livestock owners with information on a range of diseases and how
best to protect the health of their animals and the health of the farming
industry.
Farm Crisis Network in our region have asked for prayers for all those in
farming who continue to be affected by Bluetongue & TB disease restrictions,
and particularly for those who feel their backs are to the wall with no light at
the end of the tunnel after the decision not to allow badger culling in England.
Pray for continued progress of the Bluetongue vaccination programme and that it
will protect livestock from the disease.
Housing and Regeneration
Act gained Royal Assent
on 23rd July.
The new Act, will help address the shortage of affordable housing for first-time buyers and families through the establishment of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). HCA will be responsible for land and the money in order to deliver new housing, community facilities and infrastructure. It aims to give social housing tenants a better deal with the creation of the new Tenants Services Authority (TSA) and make new housing greener to tackle climate change.
Living Working Countryside. Matthew Taylor's report, commissioned by the Prime Minister to review how land use and planning can better support rural business and deliver affordable housing, found that long term under supply of housing in rural areas is holding our rural communities back. It recommends a new drive to boost rural jobs and community led affordable housing through enterprise hubs, greater home working, neighbourhood extensions to market towns, rural exception sites for local people in villages, and an experimental restriction of second homes in national parks.
Facing the Housing
Challenge Caroline
Flint, Minister for Housing launched this document on 16th July in the light of
the credit crunch, house price falls and the difficult business conditions for
house builders. This document outlines the progress that has been made against
many of the commitments made in Homes for the Future - The Housing Green paper
of a year ago.
The Rural Community Buildings Network, facilitated by DEFRA, met for a fifth time in April, again bringing together representatives from many organisations which are responsible for rural community buildings including the Church of England, the Methodists and the Quakers, alongside those responsible for village halls, memorial halls etc. Dr. Stuart Burgess believes that the use of churches, schools, and village halls for wider community use and multi-functional use is vital to their survival and also to ensuring the survival of rural communities.
Methodist Conference A
resolution asked Conference to direct those responsible for making arrangements
for each Conference to prioritise the use of fairly traded and locally produced
food when organizing venues. They
hope that the movement for local produce will grow as the fair trade movement
has. ‘Our experience has been that if you create a demand, people will supply
it’ Rev Elizabeth Clark, Rural Officer for
Community-based organizations using Church
buildings is always
encouraged and churches that do this are more in touch with their community.
(Methodist Recorder 3/7/08). For some organizations using Church and Chapel
buildings specialist insurance may be required. Sources of information are online at www.methodistinsurance.co.uk or www.churchcare.co.uk
Most of the labourers who have arrived in
'Low Carbon Development – An Introductory Guide for Planners and Councillors' has been published by a partnership including Government Office for the East of England, Inspire East, Academy for Sustainable Communities and the Buildings Research Establishment. Low Carbon Development Guide (1920kb). The impacts of climate change could be particularly severe in the East of England. Therefore, it follows that the region should be at the forefront of measures to tackle this issue. The guide is intended to complement existing and emerging Government policy and guidance. As national policy continues to develop, periodic revisions to the guide are planned. Comments on what future versions of the guide might include can be sent to:lowcarbonguide@goeast.gsi.gov.uk
© 2008 Rev Dr. Lorna Allies | District & Diocesan Rural Adviser