William Worsley: The task now is to unlock the potential of the countryside

The new Government faces huge challenges in addressing the national deficit and there is little chance that rural policy will be left unscathed.

Departmental budgets could be slashed by anything up to a third. This is clearly of concern but also paves the way for the Government to do things better and allow the countryside to fulfil its true potential.

There is a solid new Ministerial team at Defra. Each has a rural background. If any team is to take decisions based on hands-on experience and pragmatism, it is this new group of Ministers.

Caroline Spelman, the new Secretary of State, was an agricultural consultant. Her previous brief as Shadow Secretary of State for the Department of Communities and Local Government means she brings knowledge of the planning and local governance structure, so much of which has an impact on the countryside's ability to permit and foster diversification.

At the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Liberal Democrat MP Chris Huhne has taken the helm. We have worked with Chris in the past and will be calling on him to take the opportunities to maximise small-scale land-based renewables, and work with landowners on tackling climate change.

My first meetings with the new Government over the next days and weeks will focus on this theme of unlocking the potential of the countryside. We know the Government intends to review the regulatory burden on agriculture and rural business and will support them in this. I believe a total re-evaluation of policies is needed.

Farming and the countryside are inseparable. Farming is no longer just about food production; it is also about the environment. The welfare of landscape and wildlife depend on the way in which the land is farmed. It is because farming and the environment are so closely intertwined that landowners and farmers need policies in place that serve this connection and fulfil both needs.

We need a long-term policy that will promote and protect our ability to produce enough food, and allow farmers a secure and stable income. This will require improved investment in research and development, and better training for farm workers. The overall regulatory burden on farming must also be cut.

However, this increase in production cannot be at the expense of the environment. Farmers and landowners must find new ways to farm to reduce pollution levels. Soil fertility and structure need to be improved to help reduce the general deterioration of the natural environment.

To do this successfully, farmers need incentives to provide positive management. It must be in the interest of farmers to have high-quality environmental features on their land.

Most of these issues are dealt with at European Union, not national, level. We therefore need a Governmentthat grasps the challenge of making the case for sufficient funding in Brussels. Of course, the countryside is not just about farming. It hosts a whole range of small businesses and many farmers now do more than farm. We, therefore, need a planning system that facilitates a certain level of small-scale development.

Unfortunately, we are a long way from achieving this. The existing planning system is cumbersome and expensive. It stifles enterprise to such an extent that all too often even the most innocuous and

beneficial planning proposals are refused.

The planning system needs to be reformed to be positive, efficient, flexible and transparent. It must be fit to work with – not against – rural communities and accept the demands of sensible changes in land use for the common good.

Finally, most rural businesses are in competition with their urban counterparts. In communications technology, it is vital the countryside does not lag behind the towns and cities. Of course, technology often comes at a hefty price and this is most certainly not a good time for the new Government to splash out. So, the CLA Broadband Campaign proposes two practical steps the new Government could take with minimal impact on the public purse.

Firstly, introduce a universal service obligation requiring broadband service providers to provide minimum speeds of two megabits a second to every door by 2012.

Secondly, implement a "piggy-back" model that allows private businesses to make use of unused public sector broadband bandwidth. Without these measures, the rural economy could be badly disadvantaged.

All of these challenges – and many others – lie ahead for the new Government. It will be a bumpy road but I believe the Conservative/ LibDem coalition will listen to good advice and strive to do what's best for landowners, farmers and the rural economy.

William Worsley runs the Hovingham Estate in North Yorkshire and has been President of the Country Land & Business Association (CLA) since November last year.