Information about plans for the 80th anniversary of D-day,  likely to be the last attended by veterans of the landings, is now being released.

Towns, villages, schools and communities in Berkshire and across the country are being invited to take part. 

Further information can be found by clicking below.

What a difference a year makes! Twelve months ago we were working hard on our second stage bid to the Reaching Communities Fund. We had just completed a pilot project bringing new exercise classes to young people and older people in rural communities.

We were once again providing fuel poverty advice at drop-in sessions to vulnerable families and were back in the classroom delivering training face-to-face following the ending of all Covid restrictions.

Spring/Summer 2023 finds us busier than ever, delivering our new 21st Century Halls programme funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and the Princes Countryside Fund. Our team has grown for the first time in years, having welcomed Maria Kelly as our new Project Development Officer. Our Fuel Poverty project has reached more people than ever before and membership of the Community Buildings Advice Service is at an all-time high.

We have had a chance to take a quick glance back at what we have achieved over the last year and set some goals for the current one. Do take a look. To read the full report click below.

• Energy prices from 1 July 2023 will be set by Ofgem’s price cap.
• Annual energy bills for a typical household will be around £2,074, down from £2,500.
• But, energy bills are predicted to remain high until the end of this decade, and they are still higher than before the pandemic.

What will happen to prices?

• Ofgem has announced that from 1 July – 30 September 2023, the cap on the unit cost of electricity will be 30p per kWh and 8p per kWh for gas.
• This rate falls below the current Energy Price Guarantee. At the moment, under the guarantee, a typical household is paying around £2,500 a year for energy bills.

Does it apply to me?

Most of us are on the Standard tariff, and it will apply to us. If you are on a fixed term tariff, or an exempt one, it won’t apply.

Help from CCB

Helen Dean, who runs our Family Fuel and Water Poverty Project continues to support low-income families struggling with their bills by giving telephone advice, advising families at groups, and training frontline workers. Contact her at helen.dean@ccberks.org.uk for more information, or visit our website at https://ccberks.org.uk/our-projects/energy-advice-and-fuel-poverty/

£2.5 million fund will support the work of Rural Housing Enablers who broker conversations between residents, councils and builders about securing housing that meets local need.

The government announced the new funding as part of a package of support intended to unleash rural opportunity.

Richard Quallington, Executive Director of the charity Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE), said: “The money being proposed for Rural Housing Enablers is significant, timely and very much welcome. The shortage of affordable housing is perhaps one of the biggest threats to opportunity in the countryside. But rural communities need to have a say in the homes that get built.

Members of the ACRE Network (including CCB) have lengthy experience of working with residents and parish councils to conduct housing needs surveys – evidence that is used to secure planning permission for small scale rural developments which typically include affordable homes made available to people with a connection to the local area”.

The past few years have seen housing prices in the countryside rise at a quicker rate than in urban areas placing additional strain on household finances and forcing many people to move. In turn, this can affect the viability of local businesses and services.

According to recent government statistics, the most affordable homes in rural areas cost 8.8 times earnings compared to 7.6 times in urban areas (excluding London). A reduction in the number of private rental properties has also caused monthly rents to soar in the countryside since the pandemic.

Whilst the scale of the rural housing crisis is significant, there are good examples of where communities have risen to the challenge and welcomed small-scale housing developments tailored to local needs.

In Roxwell Essex, Laura Atkinson, the Rural Housing Enabler employed by RCCE helped the parish council identify households in need of affordable housing locally and brokered relationships between planners and housing association, English Rural. This led to the development of Glebe Meadow, a small development of seven homes, five of which were affordable rental properties benchmarked at the local housing allowance rate. One such home went to Abi and Gabriel, a young working couple with strong connections to the village who had previously moved from one private rental property to another in a desperate search for somewhere affordable to live.

The £2.5 million committed by Defra to rural housing enabling demonstrating the government is keen to scale-up these locally led schemes.

To read more about our work in this area please click here. Unfortunately funding for our Rural Housing Enabler role ceased in 2017 but it is a matter we feel passionately about and have kept on the Berkshire agenda by providing Community Led Housing training and support with Housing Need surveys.

Every day, millions of people across the UK are making a difference by volunteering.

Each year, outstanding examples of this work are celebrated through the King’s Award for Voluntary Service. Created in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee and previously known as The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS), this Award has been shining a light on the fantastic work of voluntary groups from all across the UK for many years. Equivalent to an MBE, the KAVS is the highest Award given to local voluntary groups in the UK, and it’s awarded for life.

Please find a link on how to nominate groups for this Award which is completed online at The King’s Award for Voluntary Service – official website (dcms.gov.uk)

There are many fantastic voluntary groups across Berkshire making a difference in their communities and now’s your chance to show them what a huge impact they are having and nominate them for this prestigious Award.