Foreword by the Secretary of State
The challenges facing rural England in 2004 are many and diverse. Whilst most areas are economically thriving, there are also many which are lagging behind. In relatively prosperous areas, there are also many individuals and households who face social exclusion, especially because of poor access to services and affordable housing. Equally, whilst the countryside remains rural England's greatest treasure, valued by us all, in many areas there are pressures on natural resources.
Rural Strategy 2004 is a response to these challenges. It takes as its starting point the vision of sustainable rural communities first set out in the Rural White Paper in 2000 - recognising that change is part of rural life, but that to be sustainable, change must balance economic, social and environmental interests. This vision of a living, working, protected and vibrant countryside remains at the heart of rural policy.
Rural Strategy 2004 also learns from our experience over the last four years. After the creation of my new Department in 2001 - bringing together environment, food and rural affairs for the first time - and in the light of the lessons learnt from the Foot and Mouth outbreak, I commissioned a review of the Rural White Paper, steps to improve the evidence base for rural policy and an independent review of rural delivery carried out by Lord Haskins. Both these reviews have been completed and work to improve the evidence base is yielding good results.
Learning from this experience, Rural Strategy 2004 sets out a new devolved and targeted approach to rural policy and delivery over the next three to five years. I am personally committed to a rural policy - translated into delivery on the ground - that is genuinely relevant to local people and the local environment, that addresses real needs, puts customers first and promotes sustainable development.
That is why I am pleased, as part of this document, to announce the Government's proposals in response to Lord Haskins' report. Rural Strategy 2004 sets out how we plan to reform delivery to give a better deal for customers, the environment and the taxpayer, in line with the Prime Minister's principles of public service reform that underpin this Government's approach. The proposals include a radical new approach for streamlining over one hundred rural funding streams to improve the customer experience and ensure that resources are clearly targeted to deliver the outcomes set out in this Strategy.
Reformed delivery can only be achieved, as indeed Lord Haskins recommended, by genuinely devolving power, resources and responsibility away from central Government. Rural Strategy 2004 sets out our new devolved approach to rural policy and delivery, and represents a significant contribution to the Government's wider devolution agenda. By bringing together resources and decision-making at a more local level, our regional and local partners will be empowered to deliver the overall aim of Rural Strategy 2004 - sustainable development in rural England.
Rt. Hon. Margaret Beckett MP
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Page last modified:
19 May, 2005
Page published: 21 July, 2004