Concern is growing over future funding to keep rural village halls in good repair.

David Ruffley will be attending a meeting in the House of Commons on Wednesday 22 January to discuss the issue of capital and maintenance funding for village halls and community centres in rural areas.

The Community Fund has made grants totaling £32 million a year for the rebuilding of village halls since 1994 but that funding is now declining to £17 million. The Community Fund has been increasingly diverting its funds away from projects such as village halls.

Another source of funding for village halls- the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme- is also now being increasingly diverted towards more straightforwardly environmental projects, such as community recycling schemes.

A third source of funding- local government settlement grants- some of which benefited community facilities such as village halls, is increasingly being directed towards urban areas at the expense of rural areas such as St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Mid Suffolk District Council.

David said: 'Village halls are a vital focal point of rural life. Many were built decades ago and are now falling into disrepair necessitating expensive repairs which are beyond the reach of local fundraising activities. The Community Fund has provided funding for some excellent schemes in my constituency but I am concerned that the trend is now to divert more money towards schemes in urban areas. I am frequently contacted by community groups who are applying for funding- most recently by Brian Annis, Chairman of the Management Committee of Needham Market Community Centre. The new criteria for grant applications is somewhat biased against rural community organisations of this kind.

I will be discussing the future of village hall funding with colleagues on Wednesday with a view to raising this important matter with Government Ministers.'