Rural Statement unveiled

Rural England has new power to hold the Government to account on its promise to grow the rural economy and support thriving rural communities, through the new Rural Statement, unveiled by Environment Secretary Owen Paterson.

The Rural Statement will give people in rural areas an expectation of the changes they should see both at work and in their communities, as the Government delivers its vision for rural England. It formalises the Government’s drive for rural businesses to overcome barriers to growth and make a sustainable contribution to economic recovery, setting out the initiatives that are already making progress towards this ambition, and those that will open up rural business opportunities in the near future. It also names superfast broadband delivery, rural business grants and Rural Growth Networks among initiatives to create rural jobs, new business opportunities and rural economic growth.

To download the Rural Statement, which also reaffirms the Government’s commitment to tackling red tape and freeing rural businesses and farms from the unnecessary Government control that has got in the way of rural economic growth in the past, visit www.defra.gov.uk/rural/economy.