Don't forget the rural economy

This is deeply regrettable. For, irrespective of the outcome, the needs of people living and working in rural areas are just as important as those of the voters being wooed by the main parties in the key marginal seats.

It is a need borne out by the Commission for Rural Communities which has exposed the growing gulf between the prosperity of rural and urban areas, a theme also highlighted by North Yorkshire County Council and others.

The issues are complex. They revolve around a gradual decline in farm incomes while, at the same time, a surge in house prices that have left many rural properties – even at the height of the recession – out of the financial reach of those who have grown up in the countryside.

Solving this conundrum will require far more innovation, and pragmatism, than has been offered thus far. To their credit, Ministers now acknowledge the importance of British food – but this requires there to be sufficient people willing to work on the nation's farms.

In short, a compelling case has to be made for young people to make a career out of the countryside rather than leaving the Yorkshire Dales, or North York Moors, for a future away from their roots.

This means resolving ongoing issues surrounding internet broadband access – a service which is now essential to people in every walk of life. So, too, is the need for policies to ensure the future viability of those villages that have seen valuable services, like post offices, close, in part because of the shortage of affordable homes for local families.

Everyone enjoys a day out, or a holiday, in the countryside. The

primary attraction is the sheer beauty of the landscape and rolling fields. But, for this idyll to be preserved, it will require a new

generation of farm workers, backed by practical policies, to make a living out of the land. An issue now, the rural economy's very future

will be an even greater cause for concern after the election.