Village Hall Charities are becoming increasingly concerned about how they will continue to operate due to the increase in their energy bills. There is currently no energy price cap in place for village halls, meaning many operate under the same “business tariff” guidelines that a large company turning profit does.  In addition, Village Hall Charities are penalised by the Climate Change Levy which results in an added taxation of 20% if they use over their ‘de minimis’ value of energy.

Village Halls are charities whose objects are to provide local provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disablement, financial hardship, or social and economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the conditions of life of the inhabitants.

At CCB we are receiving stories of Village Hall Charities who are concerned about how they will be able to afford to pay energy bills and keep facilities and local activities going over the next few months. There is a concern that passing on price increases through hire charges to those providing activities and services will ultimately fall at the feet of locals who may not be able to afford to continue using the hall. It will be the most vulnerable, elderly, young families and socially isolated who will be the ultimate victims of this crisis.

 It is interesting that the government have prioritised funding within the Department of Transport for transport in rural areas to limit social isolation, as many of the village halls that would host the events and activities necessary to combat social isolation and loneliness are on the verge of closing. Tackling loneliness with transport fund

Focus and investment are needed to ensure that village halls and charities can continue to operate – starting with a charity tariff on energy bills so charities and village halls are not stung by business tariffs. The current system where charities are regulated by the same terms as businesses is unsustainable.

CCB want to ensure that more is done to protect charity properties from closure as their services are vital for the community – not only in Berkshire but across the country.

We are asking our stakeholders, partners, beneficiaries and influencers to;

•          Support & endorse this issue on social media and within your contacts. Use the hashtag #VillageHallEnergyCrisis

•          Support for CCB (Connecting Communities in Berkshire) to open this conversation with energy providers.

Write to your local MP requesting that they;

•          Help to explore the possibility of a charity tariff for charity premises including village halls.

•          Acknowledgement of the importance of charity premises and Village Halls in your area. 

•          Lobby for grants programmes, to be offered to SMEs and Charities with premises for greener energy solutions. 

If you want to know more about the issues facing village halls, please contact us or our Community Building Advisor Kate on Kate.Meads@ccberks.org.uk