Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to increase community cohesion in rural communities.

This Government is committed to a vision of British society where people - whatever their background - live, work, learn and socialise together, based on shared rights, responsibilities and opportunities. Everyone in society has a role to play in ensuring that we live in a country where anyone can achieve anything, no matter where they live or come from.

Through its Levelling Up agenda the Government will help to bolster community empowerment and support local community spaces and relationships.

For example, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) provides £2.6 billion of new taxpayer subsidy for local investment by March 2025, with all areas of the UK receiving an allocation from the Fund. One of the Fund's investment priorities is 'communities and place' which aims to strengthen the social fabric of communities.

The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) is a rural top up to the UKSPF, providing allocations for eligible local authorities in England to help address the additional needs and challenges facing rural areas. The REPF funds capital projects for small businesses and community infrastructure. This will help to improve productivity and strengthen the rural economy and rural communities.