George welcomed the measures included in the recent Autumn Statement that will support rural communities. Having campaigned for better rural broadband, post offices, road and rail links as vital to a vibrant rural economy, I’m pleased to see these matters being taken seriously by the Government. I will continue championing rural issues in Parliament to ensure that this progress continues.

You can see the policy measures below:

Fuel Duty: This Government has cancelled the increase in fuel duty planned for January and has cut August’s increase to 3p rather than the planned 5p. For rural families this means a saving of £144 on filling up the average family car by the end of next year.

Rural Growth Networks: A new £15m package to support six Rural Growth Networks, run by Local Enterprise Partnerships, which will consist of small hubs providing premises, infrastructure, mentoring and priority access to £100m of Rural Development (RDPE) funds.

More flexibility for redundant farm buildings: We will consult on reforms to make it easier to use redundant farm buildings for business use so that they can be brought back into use for housing new enterprises and providing workspace for local businesses.

Support for small businesses: Small businesses which often form the backbone of rural economies will be able to take advantage of the support measures such as the six month extension of the business rate holiday, the new Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme, the £20bn National Loan Guarantee Scheme and the £1bn Business Finance Partnership.

Rural Broadband: £530m is already being spent on rolling out superfast Broadband countrywide, but an additional £20m Rural Community Broadband Fund will help bring this to the most isolated, hard to reach rural areas.

Rural Tourism: A new £25m package to support the rural tourist industry by funding new infrastructure such as visitors’ centres, scenic paths, recreational facilities etc. as well as marketing and promoting our tourist opportunities, particularly in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Rural Community Renewable Energy: A new £15m package to help meet the upfront costs of getting small-scale, renewable energy projects in rural areas underway by lending the money required for practical costs like feasibility studies, application costs, surveys, fees etc.

Measures to grow our Food and Drink sector: A joint Government/industry action plan to boost exports, promote innovation in food and drink production and processing, which already contributes £85 to the UK economy.

After a decade of neglect of rural areas, we are working hard to stimulate a thriving and prosperous rural economy which plays a substantial part in creating growth and rebalancing our economy. This Autumn Statement represents a good opportunity to demonstrate to rural constituents that this Coalition Government is standing up for them, and is committed to delivering much needed growth and job opportunities in the countryside as well as our towns and cities

Further details can also be found at: www.defra.gov.uk/rural/economy