Social enterprises are increasingly being developed by rural communities to take control of the issues affecting them, states new report from Plunkett Foundation commissioned by Defra.
The Review of Rural Social Enterprise in England is the first systematic review of the many various forms of community led social enterprise across rural England and the impact they have on rural communities.
Peter Couchman, Chief Executive of the Plunkett Foundation, said: “The Review of Rural Social Enterprise in England has found that, despite the challenges facing rural areas, communities are responding through a range of community led social enterprises.”
Couchman continued: “Rural social enterprises come in many forms – a community setting up a community-owned shop, community food enterprises, community land trusts for affordable housing, development trusts, community broadband enterprises and community transport enterprises are just some examples. By looking across all the different types of rural social enterprise for the first time this research has provided a greater understanding of how rural social enterprises operate and the impact they have on their communities.”
The report was commissioned by the Rural Communities Policy Unit within Defra and was supported by the Office for Civil Society within the Cabinet Office.
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For press and media enquiries, please contact Katherine Darling on katherine.darling@plunkett.co.uk or 01993 810730.