The Countryside Agency's successful Rural Housing Enabler scheme is to be extended across England to help increase housing choice for rural people.
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A Home of Their Own - 19 June 2001

Help is at hand for people in rural areas looking for a home they can afford. The Countryside Agency.'s successful Rural Housing Enabler scheme is to be extended across England to help increase housing choice for rural people.

Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Housing conference in Harrogate today (Tuesday 19 June) Countryside Agency deputy chair Pam Warhurst said: "The Countryside Agency has had a long standing commitment helping to increase the amount of affordable housing available to people in rural areas.. For the individual this means having a home of their own and the opportunity to live and work locally. For the community it helps to retain local services and for businesses it means they are able to attract and keep local staff.

"Working closely with rural communities Rural Housing Enablers have proved to be a valuable asset to local authorities and housing associations, helping them develop and implement their rural housing and planning policies. We are delighted that The Housing Corporation recognises the vital role Rural Housing Enablers play in helping them deliver their rural programme, and we welcome their support for our extending the scheme across England."

By funding the Rural Housing Enablers scheme on a national basis, the Countryside Agency is helping to meet the Government's commitment to provide 'a decent home for all those who need one' and to help deliver the much needed increase in the supply of affordable housing in the countryside, promised in last year's Rural White Paper 

Working with rural communities, housing associations, local authorities and landowners, Rural Housing Enablers:

  • help to identify and raise awareness of rural housing needs by supporting and providing advice to rural communities and district councils who are undertaking needs surveys;
  • assist in the identification of sites suitable for affordable housing development;
  • liase with all the organisations who have a role to play in the provision of affordable housing in rural areas;
  • act as independent broker to help overcome the obstacles which hinder the provision of rural affordable housing; 
  • provide advice to housing and planning authorities to help develop strategic policies essential for bringing sites forward and securing funding; and
  • supply information to the Housing Corporation to assist them plan, manage and deliver its Rural Programme.  

The scheme will operate throughout England providing at least one rural housing enabler for each county in England. The Countryside Agency will meet 50% of the costs for employing each new Rural Housing Enabler reducing to 33% after the first three years. The remainder of the funding will come from local partners such as Registered Social Landlords and Local Authorities etc. Funding is also be available from the Housing Corporation.

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Notes to editors

Our website is at www.countryside.gov.uk.

The Countryside Agency is responsible for advising government and taking action on issues affecting the social, economic and environmental well being of the English countryside.

There is significantly less rural social housing than in urban areas. For example local authority stock stands at 15% in rural areas and 22% in urban areas. The average cost of buying a house in rural areas is around £20-30,000 more expensive than in urban areas (State of the Countryside 2001).