Ministers make countryside pledge

The document, released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), re-states a raft of existing policies, such as rolling out superfast broadband to rural areas and the establishment of Rural Growth Networks.

The long-delayed announcement was welcomed by groups including the Country Land and Business Association and the Countryside Alliance, but dismissed by Labour who said a “Plan B” is now needed for the countryside.

But new Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said the statement signalled a welcome change from the urban focus of the New Labour years.

“For too long, rural England was neglected by central Government, and its businesses struggled to achieve their ambitions,” he said.

“We’ve already transformed the prospects of thousands of rural businesses, and want to make sure that change is felt in every part of rural England.

“To do this, we’ve created the first ‘rural contract’, to give rural areas the power to hold us to account on our promise to grow the rural economy and support thriving rural communities.”