Rural communities need to become greener by using resources more wisely and cutting carbon emissions. This was the clear message from the ‘One Planet Village’ conference this week at Lingfield, Surrey (24 May), which was hosted jointly by South East Rural Affairs Forum and the South East England Regional Assembly.

Representatives of rural communities from across the South East and organisations with an interest in rural issues came together on how to take action on climate change issues with the aim to produce a good practice guide that improves quality of life in the region. Priorities discussed include:

• Climate Change
  adapting to changing weather and reducing carbon emissions
  
  
• Renewable energy
  developing wind and biomass power
  
  
• Sustainable waste management
  reducing, re-using, recycling and recovering waste
  
  
• Sustainable construction
  delivering low carbon homes
  
  
• Protecting and enhancing the countryside, wildlife and habitats
  
  
• Using water and energy resources more wisely

Speaking at the conference were representatives from Defra, Natural England and Bio Regional who put forward their views on how rural communities could tackle sustainability issues locally.

Chair of the South East Rural Affairs Forum, Jeremy Leggett, said:

“We want to work with rural communities to achieve sustainable development that benefits the South East’s economy and the environment and meet social needs.”

Chairman of the South East England Regional Assembly, Cllr Keith Mitchell, said:

“Rural communities contribute to the region’s economy and enjoy a high quality of life. To keep the communities vibrant we need to take on the climate change challenge and become greener. It is the rural environment of the South East that gives it a competitive edge and is why businesses want to locate here. In planning for necessary economic growth in the rural south east, we have to ensure we maximise environmental quality and social cohesion as well as high quality economic growth.”

Contacts

Lesley van Dijk, Assembly PR Executive - 01483 555223

Heather Bolton, Assembly Communications Director - 01483 555220

Notes to editors:

1. One Planet Living®, a joint initiative of BioRegional and WWF
   
   
2. The Rural White Paper (2000) stated that the government believes it important that Ministers should hear at first hand the voice of the rural people. A National Rural Affairs Forum for England was proposed as a sounding board. However, as a result of recommendations in Lord Haskins’ Rural Delivery Revue (2003) it was decided that a stronger relationship was needed, with each region individually bringing together the widest possible range of rural stakeholders to allow Ministers to understand the differences as well as the similarities across rural England.
   
   
3. The Rural Strategy (2004) recommended that Regional Rural Affairs Forums comprising representatives of rural customers and beneficiaries become the forum in which national and regional delivery of rural policies is reviewed and reported upon. Their key duties are:
   
   
   1. To highlight important issues and priorities for rural delivery and service delivery.
   2. To comment on the effectiveness of rural development and delivery service in their region and identify areas for improvement.
   3. To comment on the impact and effectiveness of existing policy developments and generate new ideas.
   4. To provide leadership to help drive rural development at regional and local level.
   5. Build close links between customer forums and Ministers with the Regional Chairs of each forum meeting Ministers on a quarterly basis including in their region when the opportunities arise.
4. Secretariat functions to the Regional Rural Affairs Forums are provided by the nine Government Offices. For more information please see the SERAF website
5. The South East England Regional Transport Board is a partnership board advising Government on the region's transport priorities.
6. Cllr Nick Skellett - South East England Regional Assembly member and Surrey County Council Leader chairs the Board. There are a further five members on the Board alongside representatives from SEEDA, Government Office for the South East, South East Forum for Sustainability, Highways Agency, Confederation of Passenger Transport and Network Rail.
   
   
7. The Assembly is a partnership of councils and communities in the South East region. It was established in January 1999 to give a representative voice to the region, which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire and Surrey.
8. The Assembly is made up of 112 members including elected councillors nominated by the region's local authorities and 37 representatives from other sectors of the community (including business, trades unions, education, housing, health, sports, culture, tourism, faith groups, environmental, community and voluntary organisations) as well as the New Forest National Park Authority.
   
   
9. The Assembly has six roles:
1. Regional Planning
   preparing and delivering the South East Plan
2. Regional Housing
   the Regional Housing Board decides housing investment priorities
3. Regional Transport
   the Regional Transport Board decides transport investment priorities
4. Advocacy
   pressing the South East's interests in London and Brussels
5. Accountability
   scrutinising SEEDA's plans and impact
6. Alignment
   co-ordinating regional policies and decisions.

Our vision is for a distinctive, outward-looking, accessible region of prosperous, sustainable communities, with a high quality of life and environment.

Last updated: 21 August 2007

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