Countryside Alliance - love the countryside

Your countryside needs to be celebrated for its business innovation and new enterprises should be encouraged.

It’s a fact

In remote rural areas the number of businesses per 10,000 people is almost three times the level in urban areas.

Why we care
Rural areas are vibrant and thriving when it comes to business, with higher levels of self-employment and lower levels of unemployment. However, earnings in rural areas are lower. Average earnings (2004/05) in most rural districts were 20% less than those in major urban districts. We will work to ensure rural businesses can flourish.

The Countryside Alliance believes:

 Red tape should be cut to improve the profitability of rural businesses. More on this...

 Rural tourism is thriving, but many businesses are vulnerable because of their size and seasonal nature. Reductions in business rates and other fiscal measures should be used to ensure the long-term sustainability of businesses where appropriate. More on this...

 Planning regulations should fully support the role of rural enterprise and pay special attention to the use of brownfield sites. More on this...

 To revitalise local businesses, large organisations should be encouraged to adopt home-working schemes. More on this...

 Government should focus on improving economic productivity in rural areas through enterprise, skills, competition, innovation and investment. More on this...