Call for Prime Minister Liz Truss to put rural communities at heart of Government policies

The Prime Minister has set economic growth at the forefront of her new administration’s policy-making, aimed at ambitiously rebuilding the economy through tax cuts and reform.

However concerns have been raised that a flagship policy of levelling up, set out by Liz Truss’ predecessor Boris Johnson, may no longer centre in ideologies.

Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire Council Council (NYCC), argues that rural economies are as important to the nation as the economic output from large metropolitan areas – and must be taken as seriously.

He said: “The levelling up agenda is aimed at tackling regional inequalities, but this is not simply about a North-South divide.

"There needs to be a concerted effort to ensure that there is parity and equality between urban and rural areas as well."

Research published earlier this year suggested that the countryside economy is lagging behind the national average by nearly a fifth.

Were this gap closed, an All Party Parliamentary Group for Rural Business and the Rural Powerhouse (APPG) found, it would bring a £43bn boost to the economy.

Coun Les said the rural economy in North Yorkshire is "instrumental" to ensuring prosperity and greater job opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people.

He added: "From innovation in the farming industry to the multi-billion pound visitor industry we have here in Yorkshire, we want to see the countryside placed equally at the forefront of the new Government’s policies.”

The APPG study found a succession of issues were holding back the countryside's economic potential, from a fractured planning system to a "brain drain" of talented workers.

Urgent action was needed to address labour shortages, it warned, highlighting further challenges around tax systems and delivering on promises for internet connectivity.

A radical vision for transformation has also been outlined by the county's rural commission, with a taskforce appointed to act upon its recommendations.

One, under devolution, could soon see greater decision-making powers and millions of pounds in funding handed over to local leaders.

A proposed devolution deal for York and North Yorkshire was unveiled in August, and is set to see £540m of investment over a 30-year period.

Richard Flinton, chief executive of NYCC, is also chair man of the North Yorkshire Rural Taskforce. He said members were working hard to tackle "deeply-ingrained" problems.

This cannot be achieved simply through one organisation, he added, calling for a collective effort to resolve challenges in rural areas from affordable housing to employment.

He said: "The rural economy is hugely important to the nation, and we need to make sure that it is at the forefront of people’s minds not just here in North Yorkshire, but nationally as well.”