The Big Society may struggle to take hold in Sussex unless more people can be encouraged to take up volunteering.
A new study ranks half the local authorities in the county outside the top 100 areas in terms of volunteering rates and community involvement, including Brighton and Hove, Worthing and Eastbourne where less than a quarter of residents volunteer.
The report, by research firm Consulting Inplace, highlights the imbalance of more affluent, rural communities having more charity workers while poorer areas that will rely more heavily on Big Society projects having less locals volunteering.
One of the areas to buck this trend was Hastings which had higher than expected volunteering rates.
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