Rural development networks : A mapping exercise

Abstract

Rural development networks play an important role in building community capacity. However, within the current climate of austerity and public spending cuts across the UK and Ireland, rural development networks and the communities they represent are presented with a challenging future. This report is the result of a scoping exercise carried out by the Carnegie UK Trust in June 2011 that sought to map rural community development networks throughout the UK and Ireland. In carrying out this piece of research, the Trust wished to find out about existing networks across the UK and Ireland. The research sought to identify why rural networks exist, their benefits to users and the key issues facing them, particularly in the current climate of public spending cuts. This paper reports the research findings and sets out a series of recommendations designed to address the future sustainability of rural development networks.