The Carnegie Commission for Rural Community Development over the past three years has undertaken one of the most comprehensive consultations on the challenges and opportunities facing local rural communities across the UK and Ireland in recent years. The intention was to make a serious assessment of the state of the UK and Ireland’s countryside communities today.

The Commission also sought to understand what might happen to rural areas in the future: a greater dependence upon the resources of rural areas for energy production and economic regeneration, set against continuing house price rises and an ageing population. Using ‘futures’ scenario planning, have developed recommendations in line with the challenges and opportunities that communities do not yet face, as well as those they do.

Looking to the future, the Commission sought to identify the essential ingredients of a thriving rural community of the future. They are:
• Community ownership and management of local
assets
• Stronger local governance and effective community
action planning
• Strong social networks founded on high levels of
volunteering and skilled support

Through consultation and action research, the Commission suggests that the dynamic, vibrant, engaged, sustainable rural community in the future would display a number of interrelated characteristics:
• Identifying, utilising and optimising assets
• Achieving fairness for everyone
• Empowering local governance
• Increasing resources for community benefit
• Enjoying locally relevant services
• Enriching social capital and well-being
• Valuing local distinctiveness
• Developing reliable infrastructure
• Enhancing environmental capacity
• Supporting a dynamic local economy

This model provides a good diagnostic for rural communities today, across the UK and Ireland, to see where strengths and weaknesses might lie in moving towards a robust and sustainable future and which should inform their community development. The Commission report explores each of the ten characteristics in detail. The characteristics need to be seen holistically. In addition, the Commission’s research identified Ideas for Action to support each of the key characteristics. These actions are achievable, for they are already being implemented in the UK or Ireland by pioneering rural communities. The case studies available above demonstrate this. They see partnership being essential. The central and local government, landowners, the Social Investment Bank, the Lottery distributors, Third Sector agencies, trusts and local communities need to be working together to deliver these actions.

These include:
• A major expansion in community ownership of local assets
• An enhanced role for parish and community councils
• A Centre for Excellence supporting rural community development policy and practice on the ground.
• Encouragement and assistance for local communities to develop and manage their own services and to participate in community planning
• A greater role for local communities in supporting sustainable development.

(adapted from the Final Report)