Our Work > Rural Services > Social Inclusion
Social Inclusion
A widening gap between the ‘haves’ and
‘have nots’ in rural areas is not reflected
in area-based national statistics. The currently used
measure, the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), failing to acknowledge the
extent or impact of social exclusion and
poverty across rural parts of the country
so making it far more difficult to address
within public policy responses.
ACRE's Policy Position Paper - Social Inclusion
ACRE has published a Policy Position Paper on Social Inclusion 
that describes that despite the apparent affluence of rural areas and perhaps because of it, social exclusion is more prevalent in rural areas with 20% of residents experiencing it in different forms. It looks at how members of the Rural Community Action Network (RCAN) work on a range of projects seeking to improve social inclusion.
We have set out below a part of the text summarising our Policy Position Paper on Social Inclusion
The causes of social exclusion are many and complex and one solution does not fit all. ACRE would like to see a range of targeted person-centred solutions to empower individuals and communities. It is essential that policy is ‘rural proofed’ and information is available nationally to identify where social exclusion is dispersed, as is the case in rural areas and that resources are allocated fairly based on need.
