About Us

The South East Rural Community Councils (SERCC) is the consortia organisation for the Rural Community Action Network, (RCAN) in the South East.  RCAN is a national network of charities that support and work with people living in rural areas across the whole of England, to keep their villages and communities thriving and sustainable.

What do we do?

• SERCC works with the eight RCAN charities in the South East, to ensure that government policies take account of the needs of rural people.  We do this by gathering evidence about rural community needs from our charities and their 2,800 member organisations and feeding this evidence back to policy makers at local, regional and national government level, so that they effect changes for the benefit of those communities. In a political environment that focuses mostly on the issues and challenges of urban areas, this is not always an easy task. However 28% of the South East’s population live in rural areas and it is right that the contribution they make should be recognised and celebrated. It is also right that they should receive equitable support and services from government and Local Authorities, but this is not always the case.
• SERCC helps to raise the awareness of rural social exclusion and we work to make addressing it a priority for policy makers and service providers across the region.
• SERCC supports rural people to build vibrant, sustainable communities and lifestyles which meet the changes and challenges of the 21st Century.  Whether these challenges are Climate Change, increasingly expensive and diminishing energy resources, an aging population, an influx of newcomers, a changing local economy and reduced services or the need for affordable homes, we work with rural people to develop positive actions and activities that meet these challenges and underpin thriving villages and towns.

You can find the RCAN charity in your county by clicking on the quick links on the home page.

Governance

The SERCC Board comprises of the CEOs and Chair of Trustees of the eight Rural Community Action Network members in the South East - use our quick County Links at the top of the page to access their contact details.

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