Calor Urges Government to Maintain Rural Community Funding
Calor has joined with the Rural Services Network in calling on the Government to maintain funding to support the vital work that the rural community council network undertakes within rural England.
Funding for the ACRE network (Action with Communities in Rural England) is currently under threat as DEFRA considers options to reduce its budget in 2015.
The ACRE network, comprising 38 Rural Community Councils and their national governing body, make up the country’s largest rural network, and reach 52,000 grassroots organisations in 11,000 rural communities. Their work is crucial in promoting and supporting thriving rural communities – the ACRE network funds, leads or enables thousands of projects to help those located in rural areas to tackle the challenges they face – from the lack of affordable homes, broadband or public transport to tackling fuel poverty, to supporting the young, the elderly and the most vulnerable in our society.
The ACRE Network is heavily dependent on existing and future Government funding to enable its work. Not only does the DEFRA funding directly facilitate the work of the Rural Community Councils on the ground in rural areas, but it also enables the leveraging of significant additional funding from both the public and private sectors – providing value for money for the communities it serves.
Calor is urging DEFRA Secretary of State, Elizabeth Truss, to recognise the vital work of the ACRE network and to commit to future funding.
“ACRE was a crucial partner for Calor in the delivery of our FREE rural fuel poverty campaign. We would not have been able to achieve what we did without their expertise and network of rural community workers. Rural fuel poverty is still a serious issue and ACRE will be key in delivering targeted and effective local community-based solutions,” said Stephen Rennie Calor’s Managing Director.
Click here to sign an e-petition to maintain funding for the ACRE network: E-Petition to continue funding for community action in England.
