VILLAGE halls were top of the agenda for Rural Affairs Minister Jim Knight when he visited Bere Alston on Tuesday of last week. Mr Knight, who met representatives of South West Protected Landscapes and Tamar Valley AONB Service at Bere Alston parish hall, said village halls played ?a strong traditional role in rural communities?. He said: ?Their management committees put a great deal of effort into making them work for local people, but I believe there is an untapped potential for them to do more. ?We will see the role of village halls evolve, developing to provide more services for people.? Through the new Rural Social and Community Programme, there was scope through local partnerships to support the development of managers? capacity to run a modern village hall to meet the needs of local communities. ?This programme is currently out for public consultation and I would encourage people to contribute their views.? Mr Knight added that Defra was contributing some capital funding under the Rural Enterprise Scheme towards a package for village halls and providing loans under the Village Hall Loan Fund. There are current plans to provide an extension and improvements to the hall at Bere Alston, with a parish hall regeneration project committee looking at possible funding options. One of these funding possibilities is the Government?s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Sustainable Development Fund. Mr Knight was conducting a two-day tour of west and north Devon, discussing a variety of local issues, such as affordable housing and sustainable transport.
