Core messaging

This set of core messages will be the overarching theme running through all your communications, such as press releases and social media content.

Key message: Rural Housing Enablers work with local communities to help deliver affordable homes in rural areas that meet local needs and help villages remain sustainable.

The problem you’re addressing: Many rural communities are struggling to stay viable as local people cannot afford to live in the places where they grew up or work.

Supporting points:

  • House prices and private rents in rural areas are often far higher than local wages
  • Young families, key workers and older residents are being priced out of communities
  • Without affordable housing, villages risk losing schools, shops, pubs and community life

What an RHE does (in plain English): RHEs act as an independent bridge between communities, landowners, local authorities and housing providers to help meet housing need in rural communities.

What that means in practice:

  • We listen to local concerns and aspirations
  • We help communities understand their housing needs and options
  • We support the delivery of small-scale, locally supported affordable housing
  • We help navigate complex planning and policy processes

Key message: Rural affordable housing is about meeting local needs, not large-scale development.

Supporting points:

  • Schemes are usually small and carefully designed
  • Homes are prioritised for people with a strong local connection
  • Developments are shaped by the character of the village
  • Many schemes are delivered on exception sites specifically for affordable housing (a rural exception site is a small amount of land used for affordable housing in rural areas that wouldn’t tend to receive planning permission for housing development).

Benefits to the community (what people care about) This should be front and centre in local comms.

Key message: Quality affordable housing helps villages to thrive.

Community benefits include:

  • Enabling local people to stay in or return to the areas they love and grew up in
  • Supporting local services and businesses
  • Helping schools, shops and community facilities survive
  • Strengthening community resilience across generations

Working with landowners

Key message: Landowners play a vital role in sustaining rural communities for the future.

Supporting points:

  • RHEs support sensitive, values-led discussions
  • Affordable housing schemes are often small and discreet
  • Land is used to meet a genuine local need, not speculative development

How RHEs should use core messages

  • Pick one key message and 2–3 supporting points
  • Adapt language to context
  • Use consistently across conversations, media and social posts
  • Don’t try to say everything at once

Evidence of the above points can be found in ACRE’s 2025-30 strategy which can be found in the Downloads Hub