§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information supported the designation of(a) Gatcombe parish council and (b) Newchurch parish council. [44281]
§ Alun MichaelNeither Gatcombe parish council nor Newchurch parish council have been classified as "barely active". The work which is being undertaken by the Countryside Agency towards a national indicator of community vibrancy is not a categorisation of parish councils or their effectiveness. The National Indicator uses as a proxy for community vibrancy measures of the opportunities for members of a community to contribute to community activities.
The information used was collected as part of the Agency's Rural Services Survey from parish clerks and comprised the presence of a village hall or similar local meeting place, the presence of a public house, incidence of local traditions and events and contested parish council elections. Full details are set out in the Countryside Agency's State of the Countryside Report 2001 where it was noted that there is a marked relationship between the indicator score and population size. The indicator was reported at the national level.