Rural Action campaign launched

Nick Herbert and Jim Paice have launched a Rural Action campaign along with an agenda to help rural communities.

The campaign has four key aims: to respect rural people, empower rural communities, protect rural services and revive the rural economy.

Nick, the Shadow Environment Secretary, stressed that rural England has suffered “a decade of disrespect” from Labour:

“Local services have been withdrawn, rural communities have been denied a voice, and power has been taken away from local people.”

Our Rural Action policy paper contains a series of measures, including:

• Giving rural communities the power to resist school closures
• Scrapping top-down housing targets and allowing councils to oppose development on green belt land
• Piloting new rural transport solutions
• Allowing councils to offer rural business rate discounts

Jim Paice, the Shadow Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister, said, “Conservative Rural Action is about ensuring that the rural voice is heard and that the agenda to empower rural communities, protect rural services and revive the rural economy is advanced.”