Sharing Your Views - ACT Rural Survey
12th March 2025
Thanks to all who responded to the Rural survey and to those who came to our feedback session recently. We had a really useful discussion.
You can review the presentation and feedback discussions in the video below:
You can see more details of the results of the survey on these Rural Survey Summary slides.
And here is a summary of the discussion during the meeting: Record of the chat in the Rural survey results session on the 27th February 2025.
The headlines of the survey are that those responding, overwhelmingly, saw local affordable housing and transport as key challenges for people living in our rural communities and want to express those challenges to people in power. Poverty was a more complex picture, with many respondents recognising the hidden nature of poverty and its links with expensive travel and housing.
We also asked respondents what they valued in their communities and more widely, that assists communities to function well. It was gratifying that many of you commented that ACT’s support is valued and useful. Many of you also mentioned village halls as vital places in your community for activity, but also for the opportunity to come together. Warm spots, voluntary car schemes, local housing projects, pubs, post offices, oil buying syndicates, local schools and local newsletters also featured in the list of good things.
Several other organisations got a mention in addition to ACT; Cumbria Action for Sustainability, Northern Fells Project, the Fellrunner and Western Dales Community Buses, Highlights rural touring scheme, West Cumbria Rivers Trust, Cumbria CVS and Cumbria Community Foundation.
People commented that parish councils, where they are active and listen to their community can be instigators of helpful projects such as community taxi services, support to bus services like the X112 in the Coniston area and the 106 around Shap and Penrith, creating and sustaining play areas, planning for the future of the community, community housing need assessments and generally sharing information. MP’s were also mentioned as useful, along with food banks, emergency response volunteers, local library points run by volunteers, improving broadband speeds and EV charge points.
There is a lot going on and much of it is very positive, supporting local people to access services and live fulfilling lives. But there are also challenges.
We want to help you be heard on those challenges and are keen to share the results of the survey and hear your views on campaign messages; More affordable housing for locals, better integrated transport, more support for local projects so people can support each other, more discussions with agencies and authorities to help plan for the future and instigate change with, rather than to, communities.
You can see more about ACT's activities to help communities make their voices heard on our "Community Voice" page.
Please do get in touch if you want to be part of these campaigns, want us to speak to your group or community, or have ideas about how to have community and rural voices better heard.
Contact Lorrainnesmyth@cumbriaaction.org.uk. We look forward to hearing from you.