Rural Action

Support our agenda to empower communities, protect services and revive the economy in Rural England.

Rural England has suffered a decade of disrespect under Labour. Local services have been withdrawn and power has been taken away by a remote and arrogant government.

• 200 fewer rural schools than when Labour came to power

• 1,400 rural post offices have been lost since 2000

• 384 police stations closed in the shires in Labour’s first two terms

• Dramatically widened funding gap between urban and rural areas

We need a Conservative agenda for Rural Action that will:

RESPECT RURAL PEOPLE

• Give rural communities a voice to decide their own future

• Respect the rural way of life

• Only regulate where self-regulation fails

• Ensure Ministers understand rural concerns through new rural advisory groups

• Fairer rural funding

EMPOWER RURAL COMMUNITIES

• Return real power to individuals and communities

• Give villages the right to build their own affordable homes

• Scrap top-down housing targets

• Allow councils to oppose development planned for green belt land

PROTECT RURAL SERVICES

• Realise the social value of vital rural services like post offices

• Give parents the power to stop rural schools closing and open new ones

• Allow rural public services to diversify

• Pilot new rural transport solutions

REVIVE THE RURAL ECONOMY

• Cut tax rates for small businesses to encourage growth and protect jobs

• Allow councils to offer rural business rate discounts

• Simplify the planning system to improve accountability

• Reduce the burden of regulation to give businesses more freedom