Commission for Rural Communities

{{Short description|United Kingdom public body}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

The Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) was established as a division of England's Countryside Agency on 1 April 2005, and became a non-departmental public body on 1 October 2006, following the enactment of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.{{cite web|url=http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/ruraldelivery/bill/|title=Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act|publisher=Defra|archiveurl=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20060716165411/http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/ruraldelivery/bill/|archivedate=16 July 2006}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/16/contents|title=Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006|website=www.legislation.gov.uk|language=en|access-date=25 September 2017}} The chairman of the commission was Stuart Burgess.

On 29 June 2010, Defra secretary Caroline Spelman announced the abolition of the Commission as part of the 2010 UK quango reforms.{{cite news |first=Johann |last=Tasker|url=http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2010/06/29/122036/DEFRA-agencies-fall-victim-to-budget-cuts.htm|title=DEFRA agencies fall victim to budget cuts|publisher=Farmers Weekly|date=29 June 2010}} It was formally abolished on 31 March 2013.{{cite web |url=http://www.defra.gov.uk/crc/ |title=Commission for Rural Communities| publisher=Defra| date=31 January 2013}}