NICRE contributes to major new report
A new report reveals that landowners generate up to £8.7 billion in social value each year through contributions to housing, education, health and wellbeing, and more. The research, funded by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and NICRE, highlights the wide-ranging impact landowners have on rural communities.
NICRE’s team in the South West at the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) led the research. They developed a Social Return on Investment approach to capture and estimate the social value created by CLA landowners.
Paul Courtney, Professor of Social Economy at CCRI, said:
"Our research sheds light on the many ways landowners contribute to rural life beyond their economic role – supporting community events, providing affordable housing, or investing in green space and education. These are real, meaningful contributions that are often overlooked."
The findings show that landowners, particularly those with larger holdings, often invest their own resources to support their communities – whether through installing broadband, supporting apprenticeships, or maintaining public access to land.
Professor Jeremy Phillipson, Director of NICRE said:
“Over the years we are really pleased to have worked with the CLA in highlighting key issues, challenges and opportunities within our rural economies. This latest research demonstrates very well the important social contributions businesses in rural areas are making.”
You can read the full CLA report, Stewardship in Action: Landowner contributions to social value, on the CLA website.
