Billboard campaign tells Burnham to listen to rural Britain
Rural campaigners have launched a mobile billboard in Peterborough urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to reset the government’s relationship with the countryside.
The campaign, organised by the Countryside Alliance and British Hound Sports Association, calls on him to “listen” to rural communities as the advertising van tours the city and surrounding villages.
The two groups described relations between Westminster and rural communities as being at “a low point”.
They argued that disputes over taxation, trail hunting and game shooting had damaged trust in the government’s approach to the countryside.
Campaigners have criticised what they call the “family farm tax”, alongside higher taxes and National Insurance costs affecting rural businesses.
They have also opposed proposals to ban trail hunting and introduce further restrictions or licensing requirements for game shooting and the release of gamebirds.
A government consultation on proposals to ban trail hunting closed on 18 June.
The groups said more than 91,000 responses opposing the plans had been submitted and claimed it was among the largest Defra consultation responses in modern times.
They also cited polling which they said showed 65 per cent of voters believed the government unfairly neglected people living in the countryside or did not care about rural communities.
The Countryside Alliance said the change in leadership gave the government an opportunity to reconsider its approach to rural policy.
Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said Labour could not afford to overlook rural voters after winning seats across countryside areas of the UK.
“With Labour holding rural seats from Northumberland to Cornwall and here in Cambridgeshire, as well as in Wales and Scotland, Andy Burnham cannot afford to let the countryside be an afterthought.”
Mr Bonner said the government should learn from the disputes that developed under Sir Keir Starmer and reconsider policies affecting farms and rural businesses.
He called for tax changes to be reversed and urged ministers to halt proposals on trail hunting, game shooting and the release of gamebirds, which he said had fuelled division in the countryside.
The campaign groups said they wanted rural policy to be addressed early by the new government and called for greater engagement with farming and countryside organisations.
