Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with (a) farming unions and (b) other organisations on tackling (i) loneliness and (ii) isolation for (A) widowed farmers and (B) other people who live alone in rural areas.

Many people experience loneliness and social isolation, and the government is committed to building a more connected society. We know that social isolation can be particularly challenging for those in rural areas, and as outlined in the fourth Annual Tackling Loneliness Report, the Government has introduced a number of measures to provide support for rural communities and farmers. As loneliness is a devolved policy area, these programmes pertain to England only.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has committed to a range of measures. This includes providing funding for organisations and initiatives that seek to tackle loneliness in rural areas, like Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE). Additionally, DEFRA has made tackling loneliness an objective for the Farmers Welfare Forum and has brought together 15 rural community organisations working to tackle loneliness to better understand the issue and target support.

In addition, in March 2023 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport launched the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund with £30 million of funding designed to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness in 27 disadvantaged areas across England, including 5 predominantly rural local authority areas.

Updates on the progress of these commitments will be published in the fifth annual report in March.