Countryside Under Pressure

At the heart of each of our small towns and villages is a community - yet, within these communities, key services are under threat. These include Post Offices, Pubs and Libraries that are the lifeblood to many rural areas.

Anne Marie was recently aksed to help the people of Holcombe, a small village on the edge of Dawlish, whose village hall was in need of an extension. The Inland Revenue, however, wanted £19,000 by way of VAT.
Anne Marie worked with the Village Hall Committee and helped them to craft three letters setting out why they should not have to pay. The result was £19,000 saved for the village!

Anne Marie says: " It seemed grossly unfair that a Village Hall Committee should be expected to pay such a huge amount of money to the taxman, just because they want to expand. Village halls are few and far between now and such red tape and bureaucracy will mean that more and more village halls will stop being used".

Anne Marie shares concerns of many in relation to the sustainable environment, including recycling. She feels that insufficient attention is paid to the rural community. Anne Marie says: "We must try our utmost at local level to create educational, employment and recreational opportunities for the young, plus affordable housing - and not forgetting the needs of the elderly who often have given so much to the community. There is a need for a commonsense approach in local and National Government to halt the unstainable burden now being placed on Council Tax-payers".