§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Countryside Agency on the subject of village halls. [39394]
§ Alun MichaelI believe strongly that community buildings and village halls have an important role to play in village life. They can make an enormous difference to the well-being of communities by providing sustainable, multi-functional and flexible resources. They can provide a focus for a range of activities including child care, employment training and advice, sports, leisure and participative activities involving all members of the rural community.
Recent evidence from the Countryside Agency's "Rural Services Survey" suggests that the substantial amounts of funding from various sources over recent years—the 21' Century Halls for England Fund, the Community Fund, Awards for All funding and local authorities—has been very successful in increasing provision of village halls. We are in regular contact with the Countryside Agency on these issues and my officials will be meeting Action for Communities in Rural England shortly to discuss how best to support local communities so as to complement the investment that has gone into village halls.