Newly appointed Environment Secretary Own Paterson has unveiled the first ‘rural contract’ which he said will increase the ability of rural communities to hold government accountable for promises to “grow the rural economy” and support their communities.

The new ‘contract’ follows in the same vein as other rural initiatives put forward by the current government. The contract’s scope is on “overcoming barriers to growth” and creating “drive for rural business.” Defra has pledged millions of pounds to boost rural businesses; including helping farmers diversify to secure extra income and creating lucrative export opportunities in ‘emerging economies’ outside Europe.

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Paterson’s Rural Statement names superfast broadband delivery, rural business grants and Rural Growth Networks among initiatives to create jobs, new business opportunities and economic growth in rural regions. It also covers familiar ground in pledging to “tackle red tape and free rural businesses and farms from… unnecessary Government control.”

However, the expectation that entrepreneurialism will end the worsening problem of ‘rural neglect’ highlighted by a number of countryside NGOs and MPs in the all-party parliamentary group on rural services, has been criticised. The suggestion that deeper structural problems will be mitigated by pumping money into the private sector and reducing guidelines and legislation has been criticised as blinkered and naïve by food policy experts and countryside groups.

Furthermore, the abolition of quangoes including the Agricultural Wages Board, under the guise of ‘tackling red tape,’ could have severe implications for pay and workers’ rights in the countryside, where a pay gap already exists and the cost of living has been shown to be higher overall.

Paterson: rural growth ‘vital for economy’

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said on Wednesday, “Rural economic growth is vital for this country. The Government’s role is ensure that rural areas have all the infrastructure they need to grow. Businesses should then be free from the unnecessary Government red tape that has got in the way of rural economic growth in the past.

“For too long, rural England was neglected by central Government and its businesses struggled to achieve their ambitions. We’ve already transformed the prospects of thousands of rural businesses and, want to make sure that change is felt in every part of rural England. To do this, we’ve created the first ‘rural contract’ to give rural areas the power to hold us to account on our promise to grow the rural economy and support thriving rural communities.”

However, although organisations including the Country Land & Business Association have welcomed the move, elsewhere, the reception has been lukewarm.

Food policy experts have condemned the current export drive, which champions resource-intensive, luxury food items, as inappropriate at a time when governments and policy makers should be focusing on achieving international food security. Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at London’s City University told Farming Online last month, “For decades, there has been a fantasy within government that more exports will be a panacea for the massive food trade gap. While appreciating the hard work of and by exporters, the financial drain the trade gap will only be addressed if more food is grown more sustainably and consumed here. A few niche products is not the same thing as a sustainable food system.”

Although Defra has said it is “determined that businesses in rural areas should not be held back by the challenges of their location, and rural communities should have fair access to public services,” evidence of these issues has repeatedly come to light in past years.

Rural residents pay more for food, transport and council tax than their urban counterparts, but benefit less from public spending on transport, education and healthcare services. There are fewer amenities, such as banks, pubs and leisure facilities in small towns and villages and those that still exist are often in a perpetual state of precariousness.

Defra said that, in addition to today’s contract, the new environment secretary, as well as other Defra ministers, would embark upon a series of ‘Rural Roadshows’ to engage with people benefitting from rural growth initiatives. These Networks are expected to create a total of 3,000 jobs and 700 start-up businesses, using a total investment of £15 million of public money.

Aside from questions over whether such a large amount of public spending should go to fund private enterprises, against a backdrop of public sector cuts, questions over social policies in rural regions remain unanswered. Predictably, Paterson’s predecessor’s Rural Roadshows involved a great deal of meeting with business communities in rural regions, leaving large social questions unanswered in many cases.  

Sustrans warns of lack of access to essential services in rural regions

The unveiling of the Defra secretary’s new ‘Rural contract’ coincided with a warning from sustainable transport charity Sustrans that people in rural regions are having increasing difficulty accessing essential goods and services due to worsening transport links.

The problem is at its worst in North Yorkshire where, according to Sustrans, 32 percent of people are at serious risk of being unable to afford to access essential goods and services. Commenting on the revelation, David Hall, the charity’s regional director for Yorkshire, today said, “We need a transport system that works for everyone, not one designed to best suit those who can afford a car.”

The lack of environmental consideration in the Rural Statement also caused upset. Following last week’s reshuffle, critics suggested the coalition had dropped the last vestiges of its pretensions to be the 'greenest government ever', in favour of ‘growth at all costs’. Commenting on the Rural Statement on Wednesday Neil Sinden, Director of Policy and Campaigns for the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England said, “It is encouraging to see the Statement makes clear that all of Government and not just the ‘rural department’ have responsibility for the countryside. We support and welcome Ministers’ commitment to improving opportunities for walking and cycling in the countryside and to making sure there is sufficient rural affordable housing. We would really like to see more genuine action in these areas.

“However, as with much of current Government thinking, the statement is limited by its assumption that economic development is unrelated to the natural environment. Only by putting the environment at the centre of measures to achieve social and economic progress will the Government help to support a sustainable future for rural areas.”

Mr Paterson’s Rural Statement ostensibly outlines his intention to engage directly with rural communities and businesses so that they can influence the changes they need. However, it remains doubtful that necessary changes outlined by countryside representatives in NGOs and parliament can be delivered from a purely business-minded standpoint.

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