The CLA (Country Land and Business Association), along with a small group of CLA members, held a meeting with Carlisle MP John Stevenson, kindly hosted by Toby Mounsey-Heysham at Castletown House in Rockliffe.
John is the MP for Carlisle, Chair of the APPG for Food and Drink, and the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate in the same constituency, which will, due to boundary changes, take in a larger rural area at the next General Election.
The meeting was organised by CLA Director North Lucinda Douglas, who along with a small group of local farmers and landowners, discussed various issues and concerns. Subjects included planning, energy infrastructure, taxation, nutrient neutrality, farming support payments and food standards, food security and international trade agreements. In addition, obstacles to economic growth in rural areas were discussed particularly focussing on planning, housing, infrastructure, grid capacity and employment needs and skills. The meeting also afforded John Stevenson an opportunity to set out his vision for the constituency with a view to the next General Election.
Carlisle MP John Stevenson said: “It was great to meet with Lucinda and local CLA members to discuss the work the CLA are doing in championing the rural economy, especially on farming, the environment and tourism.
“Carlisle is a fantastic, dynamic city and is undergoing change for the better. The rural areas play a key part in my vision to see Carlisle grow as a regional capital and are a significant contributor to the Carlisle economy.
It was good to hear the views of the small group of farmers and landowners as solutions to the issues they raise are important for the future. I will be feeding these back to Government in the coming days.”
CLA Director North Lucinda Douglas said: “Our meeting with John was constructive with the recognition that the rural periphery is an integral part of Carlisle City’s prosperity and future economic growth. The meeting highlighted the need of landowners and farmers to have greater certainty on government policies that would be conducive to investment.”
“Most of the issues discussed centred around land use, particularly considering the push-and-pull between farming and looking after the environment. Farmers simply want to fill food baskets and look after the environment, as well as helping with creating energy solutions in the region and beyond.”
“Enhancing farming support, infrastructure and policies conducive to rural economic development are open goals in the run-up to the next General Election, and any party that comes up with a genuinely ambitious plan for rural areas would, I suspect, win a great deal of support.”