Rural Coalition Report

Many of you will know from my work on The Norfolk Way and from my maiden speech that the issue of Rural Renaissance is at the heart my work in Parliament for Mid Norfolk.

Last Monday’s EDP contained an interesting article about a new report from an organisation called the Rural Coalition encouraging a new approach to rural areas.

Whist tackling the deficit is essential and will result in very difficult choices for the government; the chance to reshape government also presents an opportunity for a fresh approach to these long-standing problems in rural areas like Norfolk.

The problems facing rural regions are familiar to many of us: a lack of affordable housing and local jobs, declining rural services and large unsustainable developments threatening our market towns.

With a new approach to planning that gives real power to communities, we could see new housing built sustainably. With investment in infrastructure and innovative approaches to rural broadband, we can attract businesses and start-ups to Norfolk.

By allowing people to live in Norfolk and to work from (or close to) home, we can build sustainable local communities. And with strong local leadership and support from those communities, we can help to secure our post-offices, shops and pubs.

Empowerment, investment, innovation and leadership are the keys to unlocking our potential and are at the heart of my Norfolk Way campaign. As Lord Taylor, The Lib Dem Peer who runs the Rural Coalition puts it “We need a fundamental change of approach at both national and local levels to give rural communities a more sustainable future.”

Lord Taylor and the Coalition deserve praise for this report and their vision. It is a timely reminder that whilst our daily news may be talk of cuts, we should bear in mind how little the massive amounts of borrowed government spending did for many/most rural areas.

For the full report, click here