In a short debate secured by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative) on Tuesday 15 October, peers from all sides of the House highlighted the key challenges facing rural communities and pressed the government on its rural priorities. The debate was wide ranging and closely reflected the Alliance’s key campaigning areas set out in our Rural Charter, which was sent again to all peers ahead of the debate.
Lady McIntosh opened the debate by highlighting that “rural communities face many challenges and are of a different nature from urban communities, yet in policy terms they are frequently overlooked.” She noted the “desperate need to support farming and other businesses in rural areas with better broadband and mobile connectivity”; the lack of public transport and what this means for young people in terms of accessing jobs and for older people accessing healthcare. She observed that rural areas are “often used for the convenience of urban communities” such as with energy generation being generated far away from where it is to be consumed and “that energy then traverses rural communities, which are blighted by pylons, without gaining any of the benefits…” She argued for more affordable rural housing and for the inequalities of healthcare between urban and rural areas to be addressed. She pressed the government on agricultural support and the need to boost food security and self-sufficiency by ensuring we consume more home-produced food and fewer substandard food imports from third countries. She also said that “while environmental benefits sit comfortably with best farm practice, the mass development of solar panels, tree planting, carbon offsetting and housebuilding on Britain’s most productive and fertile land does not make good sense.” In summing up she asked the Minister “to use the forthcoming spending review to restore the balance in spending in rural areas and to ensure a fairer spend on public services such as health, transport, housing and energy.”
She was followed by peers from across the UK who took the opportunity to set out some particular challenges in different parts of the country. Lord Elliott of Ballinarmallard (Ulster Unionist Party), until recently chair of the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, used the occasion to make his maiden speech saying that: “We all suffer from poor transport services, poor broadband and connectivity, rural isolation, poor health and well-being and the lack of youth services, but there are other aspects to rural communities that are deficient.” He pointed out that while in England approximately 19% of the population live in rural areas, in Northern Ireland that figure is approximately 37%, so “there is a significantly larger proportion of rural residents in Northern Ireland who, obviously, have significantly more rural-based issues.” He described the farming and agricultural sector as a world leader in quality food production but that it “continues to be pressurised” and “continues to be held to ransom by many rules and regulations that are not adopted by other countries from which we import food”. He concluded by saying that he had been told not to be controversial in his maiden speech but hoped “to be more forthright in future contributions”. His observations were echoed by fellow Northern Ireland peer Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour).
Baroness Humphreys (Liberal Democrat) brought a Welsh perspective focussing on rural transport and farming. For the Liberal Democrats she identified three main priorities which they want tackled in the next two years, in the form of a rescue plan for farmers — extra funding for the agricultural budget, the renegotiation of botched overseas trade deals, and addressing the worker shortages blighting the sector. Lord Harlech (Conservative) also spoke from a Welsh perspective and emphasised the blight of crime in rural areas and the “significant disconnect between rural issues and government policing policies”. Lord Cameron of Dillington (Cross Bench) drew attention to the fact that “rural council tax payers pay an average of 17% more than their urban cousins —nearly £100 per head more” and that as a result “services now provided in our rural shires are the bare minimum.” He also emphasised the need for rural proofing of policy across government departments. The Bishop of St Albans, chair of the Rural Coalition echoed Lord Cameron observing “the desperate need for a cross-governmental strategic approach to rural affairs” and that “the consideration of rural communities must be addressed at the very beginning of the development of policies and right through the delivery process.” He said that: “With the proper investment, our rural communities can not only continue to be a vital economic asset to this nation but contribute significantly to its growth. Lord Caithness referred to the 2019 Lords Economy Committee 2019 report, Time for a Strategy for the Rural Economy and the recent Regional Moorland Groups report - The People’s Plan for the Uplands – showing that 97% of the people who live in these areas feel “abandoned by politicians”.
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle spoke for the Green Party and Lord de Clifford (Cross Bench) pointed out that the move to 5G was negatively affecting rural mobile phone coverage. Lord Roborough (Conservative) called for greater investment by the government in the rural economy, rather than the rumoured cuts, to address food security and water quality, adapt to climate change and deliver our nature recovery obligations. Other contributions were made by Lord Devon (Cross Bench) and Baroness Pinnock (Liberal Democrat).
Responding for the government, Baroness Hayman of Ullock insisted that “the government are committed to improving the quality of life for people living and working in rural areas, so that the full potential of rural businesses and communities can be realised.” She said that “to do this, we need to ensure that the needs of people in rural areas are right at the heart of policy-making.” She pledged to continue to be “a strong voice for rural communities in the department”. She said all the right things about tackling crime, the need to ensure digital connectivity, affordable housing, planning reform, support for farmers and the need for a cross-departmental approach to rural policy. Most of the issues in the debate are ones on which the Alliance has been campaigning for many years. There is clearly cross-party agreement on the key issues for the countryside, and many of the solutions. What is needed now is decisive government action and the Alliance will continue working to ensure the voice of the countryside is heard and that the government delivers the policies rural communities need.
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