HC Deb 21 November 2001 vol 375 c326W
Mr. Breed

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the latest date for which figures are available, what proportion of parishes in the countryside were classified as(a) vibrant, (b) active, (c) barely active and (d) sleeping, stating in each case the measures used. [15912]

Alun Michael

The Countryside Agency's State of the Countryside Report 2001 set out indicators for community vibrancy using a selection of community activities such as contested parish council elections and annual events. Building on from this information preliminary work to re-evaluate the full database of parishes suggests that: 27 per cent. of parishes were vibrant, 38 per cent. Active, 26 per cent. barely active and 9 per cent. sleeping.