The first King’s Speech of Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership contained nothing that was specifically about rural communities. As would be expected of the early days of a new government the measures announced are targeted at big, structural issues in the UK’s economy and society, and this is to be welcomed. Many of these affect rural communities equally with urban ones, and if the programme succeeds in elevating living standards the countryside will also benefit; the reverse is equally true.
During the recent election campaign, the Countryside Alliance published our Rural Charter, outlining our priorities for the new government, as follows:
Within this briefing, we shall summarise those Bills announced in the speech that would appear to have relevance to rural communities. We shall also indicate where there is scope for bills to address other key matters on which the Countryside Alliance has campaigned, within the Rural Charter and otherwise, in the interests of rural Britain.
Our full briefing note, which is available to download in full below, includes an analysis of and statement of the Countryside Alliance's position for the following issues:
Planning and Infrastructure Bill - Improve the planning system at a local level, modernising planning committees and increasing local planning authorities’ capacity to deliver an improved service and accelerate housebuilding and infrastructure delivery.
Great British Energy Bill - Establish Great British Energy as a new, publicly-owned energy production company that will own, manage and operate clean power projects around the country, helping promote energy independence and lower household energy bills.
Crime and Policing Bill - Promote the government’s mission to halve serious violence and increase confidence in policing and the Criminal Justice System, by giving police new powers to crack down on crime and anti-social behaviour while reforming law enforcement agencies.
Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill - Promote the needs of victims by improving available support, reducing court delays and strengthening protections for the public.
Skills England Bill - Establish Skills England as a new body bringing together businesses, providers, unions, Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and national government to improve the workforce skills base, which will inherit the functions of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE).