CLA stands up for rural businesses

Country Land and Business Association

A report demonstrating the vital contribution that rural businesses make to the region’s economy has been launched by the CLA.

Standing Up for Rural Businesses was presented by CLA President Ross Murray to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Rural Business in the House of Commons this week.

The report demonstrates the vital contribution that rural businesses make to Lancashire’s countryside and to the wider economy. It highlights key issues for rural areas within the current political agenda, focusing on the Housing and Planning Bill, the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill, and the anticipated Digital Economy Bill.

It received a warm welcome from the APPG’s chairman, MP Julian Sturdy, who said: “Rural businesses are the lifeblood of our countryside communities and they make a vital contribution to the national economy.

“The APPG for Rural Business was created to help members from all parties to champion the cause of rural business, and the CLA’s Standing Up for Rural Businesses report will be a valuable and useful tool.”

CLA North Regional Director Dorothy Fairburn said: “Rural Lancashire is buzzing with economic potential. Last year, the CLA’s rural business league table revealed that loyalty towards businesses in the county is very high and provision of broadband and mobile coverage is by far the best in the rural North.

“Despite this, rural businesses are often overlooked by government. We are the Cinderella of the UK economy. The CLA’s vision is that a person setting up or growing a rural business should have the same opportunities as anyone seeking to do so in towns and cities.

“Successful rural businesses – from food, farming and forestry to tourism, leisure and retail – are the heartbeat that sustains the countryside. The CLA is committed to standing up for rural businesses.”

The Standing Up for Rural Businesses report highlights a number of priorities relating to the current political agenda. CLA President Ross Murray comments:

• The planning system

“Almost half of the applications made to convert redundant farm buildings in England into much-needed rural homes, are being refused. We have reached the point that where a local planning authority has not yet delivered a Local Plan, they must be forced to do so.”

• Rural housing

“Rural businesses have a crucial role to play in tackling the housing crisis in the countryside. It is more important than ever to unlock the potential of private investment for housing delivery, along with a more positive approach to planning.”

• Devolution

“Devolution deals must not ignore the potential for growth within the rural economy, nor the needs of rural businesses and communities.”

Facts & Figures

• In England and Wales there are more than 600,000 rural businesses employing 3.4 million people.
• In England, 63 percent of businesses in rural areas are classified as small or micro-businesses.
• In England, 49 percent of applications to convert redundant farm buildings into much needed rural homes are refused. 
• The unemployment rate in rural areas is 4.6 percent (in urban areas, it is 8.1 percent). 
• There are over one million privately rented properties in rural England and Wales. 
• In a rural area only 31 percent of people can expect to get ‘all networks’ mobile coverage indoors. This compares to 91 percent in urban areas.