Rural Affairs

Rural Strategy 2004 Fact Sheet: A strong rural voice - listened to by Government

Why listen to rural people?

  • The Rural White Paper (2000) said “It is important that Ministers should be fully informed of the state of the countryside and should have regular and direct contact with the main rural groups so that they know what is going on and what countryside people think”. It announced the establishment of the Rural Advocate to be the voice of rural people.
  • The Government remains firmly committed to this.

What will be new?

  • The role of Rural Advocate is as important as before. And we will create a New Countryside Agency as government’s expert rural adviser – unfettered by delivery functions and therefore able to concentrate on advocacy, particularly for people and communities suffering social and economic disadvantage.
  • We will convene an annual national rural conference that brings together a wide range of rural stakeholders from national, regional and local organisations.
  • We will ensure that the grass roots perspective influences regional decision-making on issues affecting rural people and communities, through using or building on regional Rural Affairs Forums to provide a clear voice at the regional level.
  • We will build a strong relationship directly between Ministers and rural people in the regions, as well as with the New Countryside Agency, through:
    • quarterly meetings between Ministers and the chairs of the regional Rural Affairs Forums; and
    • attendance by Ministers at meetings of the regional Rural Affairs Forums, as opportunities arise.
  • To ensure there is no confusion or overlap of roles, these new arrangements will subsume the Rural Affairs Forum for England.

What will be better?

  • There will be a stronger means of ensuring that the impact of policies on rural people, communities and businesses is taken into account by Government and other public decision-makers.
  • Policies and decisions affecting rural people should be better informed and therefore more relevant to the real needs of rural people.

How and when?

  • The first of the new annual rural conferences is planned to take place before the end of March 2005.
  • The New Countryside Agency will be established as a distinct and distinctive body from 1 April 2005, with a new name that reflects its more focused remit (see also New Countryside Agency factsheet).
  • New rural delivery frameworks at regional level, to which the rural customer will have a strong voice, will be developed by 1 April 2005.
  • A programme of quarterly meetings between Ministers and the Chairs of Regional Forums will be established by 1 April 2005, to allow Ministers to hear at first hand the voice of rural people.

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Page last modified: 19 May, 2005
Page published: 21 July, 2004

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs