Lobbying Successes

The CLA lobbies continuously at EU, national and regional level, and uses our members’ experiences and concerns to help change the law be it overturning bad regulations, improving legislation in the interests of our members or resisting introductions of laws that would have unintended consequences for landowners.

During the past year CLA advisers lobbied on a number of issues including the following.

Property and Ownership

CLA secures improvements to Localism Bill
The CLA successfully opposed the Government’s proposals concerning the right to bid for so-called “Assets of Community Value” which could have prevented members from selling land or property at a time of their choosing if it was deemed to be of value to communities. We argued that rural landowners already provide thousands of assets for the use of local communities – such as playing fields and village halls – and warned that this long-standing tradition was under threat as many rural advisers had already begun to recommend that their clients withdraw assets from community use.

The CLA’s intervention means that improvements have been made to the Bill to the benefit of members. For example, the proposals now include a better definition of “community asset” – meaning it must be seen to further the social well-being of the local community – and individuals will not be able to nominate assets to go on the council-led list which affords the owners some protection.

In 2012 we will continue to press government officials to ensure there is no reduction in the protection the CLA has already secured for landowners, and that the whole system causes the minimum of interference with your wishes to sell your land or property to others at a time of your choosing. We will continue to demand an effective right of appeal and full compensation for all losses as a result of listing assets.

Averting crisis in heritage
CLA members are by far the biggest group of managers of heritage, looking after mostly the “everyday” heritage of houses, gardens, barns, mills and ancient earthworks, collectively managing at least a quarter of all listed buildings and huge amounts of other heritage.

In 2011 CLA launched its report Averting Crisis in Heritage: CLA Report on Reforming a Crumbling System which calls for a comprehensive range of measures to create a better system to allow heritage to be used, valued and sympathetically changed. We are working constructively with English Heritage, Cadw and others to press for the changes needed to ensure members do not have to abandon repair projects because of costs and bureaucracy, and to give businesses and prospective buyers the confidence to invest in historic buildings.

The CLA vision for access
Nearly 140,000 miles of public paths exist in England and Wales. The public rights of way system is a minefield of complexity and the existing network is out of date, failing to satisfy the recreational desires of the user or the professional needs of the landowner. Simple commonsense changes can be impossible to achieve because of the tortuous and confrontational nature of the administrative system and, where changes can be made, there are often excessive costs and lengthy delays.

In 2012 the CLA will launch its policy paper on Access which will call on government to: simplify the administrative processes to improve the efficiency of the system; implement the deadline by which unused paths (lost ways) can be re-discovered (so that landowners no longer face claims out of the blue and authorities no longer spend scarce resources on unused paths); and enable commonsense changes to be made to the network to respond to changing needs and demands.

Mansion tax threat
During 2011 there have been an increasing number of threats to introduce some type of “mansion tax” which, if implemented, could affect members who have recently purchased or acquired residences with substantial value. It could also apply to longer term owners. The CLA will be paying close attention to developments on behalf of members and will advise accordingly.

Landscape and Farming

CLA lobbies to ensure landowners are not disadvantaged in the CAP Reform
CLA members run farm businesses which depend on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Without it, farming as we know it would not exist.

The CLA’s key message is the concept of “Food and Environmental Security” – our philosophy that the CAP must help maintain both our capacity to produce food and meet society’s demands for a better protected environment. This means individual farmers need to be paid for both elements. We have been leading in this debate at home and in Europe successfully preserving the level of the CAP budget to meet these twin aims.

This approach has not always made us popular but our argument is prevailing in Brussels. The European Commission proposals are far from perfect but do recognise the huge benefits which farmers and land managers provide.

Nevertheless, threats remain. There is still the risk that entitlements will be limited to narrowly defined “active farmers” and that there will be caps on larger claims. If either come to pass it will be bad news for farming businesses on a number of fronts as this will:

1. create additional administrative burdens especially on the Rural Payments Agency (RPA);
2. penalise members who have diversified or who are not primarily farming;
3. inhibit efficient industry restructuring; and
4. work against global efficiencies in farming.

Unfortunately, our government is showing signs of indecision which is why the CLA will be working hard in 2012 with the European Landowners’ Organization, our European partners, to ensure that the interests of our members are properly recognised and protected.

CLA helps reduce red tape on farming activities
The CLA knows how much of a problem red tape is for our members who actively farm and we have been making the point to government for years. We were therefore delighted when the Government took on board what we have been saying and set up the independent Farming Regulation Task Force to look at ways in which farming could be deregulated.

The CLA – through written submissions to the Task Force and one-to-one meetings with its chairman – identified areas in members’ farming activities where red tape should be removed, such as calling for fewer inspections in abattoirs by implementing a risk-based approach which would lead to reduced costs for the livestock industry. This and other recommendations were successfully incorporated in to the Task Force’s report.

In 2012 the CLA will be lobbying government to ensure that the Task Force’s recommendations are implemented which will mean that members will be less burdened by government bureaucracy.

CLA wins funding for woodland owners
After many months of CLA lobbying, the Government began to take the problem of tree pests and diseases seriously, with the promise of £7 million of additional funding to support research into combating exotic diseases. Many of our other suggestions were also taken on board, for example, improving the channels for reporting and monitoring new pests and diseases which will help tree owners detect poor tree health early on so it is managed effectively.

We were also successful in working with the Forestry Commission to persuade the Government to turn under-spent cash from Natural England's bio-energy crops scheme into funds to help bring under-managed woodland into production. The newly created Wood Fuel Implementation Plan should boost the forestry sector by providing funding which recognises that productive, well-managed woodland delivers optimum environmental benefits and gives woodland a sound economic foundation. In our view the support is the best and cheapest way of securing these benefits and the future of forestry.

Environment and Natural Resources

CLA’s case for renewable energy supported by government
After almost a decade of continuous CLA lobbying effort, we have started to see some movement on supporting renewable energy with the Government promising £860 million at the end of 2010 to ensure funding for large and small renewable heat schemes.

Although we have won the bigger argument, we still need to work closely with government on the details. We are involved in all aspects of renewables: sitting on the steering group of the Anaerobic Digestion Action Plan, managing to ameliorate some of the less favourable things in the original draft, responding to the Emergency Review of the Feed-in Tariff and ensuring that the officials who put together the electricity market reform were careful to exclude smaller scale renewables from their proposals. The CLA will continue to press government for action on the regulation of anaerobic digestion.

CLA wins septic tank review
During 2011 we were successful in persuading Defra and the Environment Agency to carry out a review of the new requirements to register exemptions for all septic tanks.

The Agency’s new rules were shown to be not properly thought out and were so poorly communicated that many householders were not only left at risk of breach through no fault of their own and unsure as to whether they needed an environmental permit, but under the impression that they had to replace their sewage system at great expense if they did not qualify for a permit.

The CLA will be working with Defra and the Environment Agency to ensure that these issues are addressed in England and discussions continue with the Welsh Government to establish the reasons why a similar review was not considered necessary in Wales.

CLA wins recognition for environmental role played by land managers
CLA’s work with the Government on what became its White Paper on the Natural Environment paid off in its recognition of the valuable environmental role played by land managers on top of producing food and timber. The CLA has long argued that the landscape scale approach to nature conservation is the right way forward so long as the contribution made by members in conserving and improving biodiversity is properly rewarded. As far as England is concerned, this ethos underpins much of the White Paper.

During 2012 we will pay close attention to ensuring that a member’s ability to develop his own business is not impeded by potential changes to Agri-Environment Schemes and Nature Improvement Areas. In Wales, we will be carefully monitoring the development of the Natural Environment Framework and the proposals put forward by the Welsh Government for creating a single environmental body by merging the Environment Agency, Countryside Council for Wales and the Forestry Commission.

CLA’s vision for water
With the challenges of climate change and population growth, the importance of water resource and quality and the impact of flooding cannot be underestimated. The CLA’s publication The Tide is High: CLA Vision for Water sets out our policy: on water resource, the CLA urges land managers to use water more efficiently and be rewarded for managing sustainable supplies; on water quality, we call for the Government to make a clear scientific and economic case for the quality standards imposed by the Nitrates and Water Framework Directives; and on flood and coastal defence, we suggest protecting good agricultural land for food production rather than surrendering it to water.

Water and our means of managing it are crucial to the businesses of CLA members. It is for these reasons that the CLA will keep water high on the agenda in 2012, lobbying to influence the Government’s Water White Paper to ensure that the right policy frameworks are in place for water, land management and food production.

Business and Technology

CLA fights for a planning system which supports sustainable development
Every CLA member knows the planning system needs reforming. Put simply, it is too expensive, too complicated and frustrates too many worthwhile projects. The difference now, though, is that government is at last hearing the message. They know the system is broken and have accepted the need for fundamental reforms.

During 2011, after much consultation, we persuaded the Government to develop a planning policy which would be based on a presumption in favour of sustainable development. The CLA has been leading on this concept for a long time specifically calling for it in our 2010 position statement Planning for Change in the Countryside. If adopted and properly implemented, it will encourage appropriately scaled economic activity and certainly help members engaging with local objectors. It will mean that when you submit your application to convert a barn, or extend your house, the chances of the answer being “yes” will be far greater.

In 2012 we will need to ensure that, despite the emotional argument playing in the media, the Government holds firm and does not give in to any of the more extreme calls to backtrack. It is essential that rural businesses have a planning system that is fit for purpose and which encourages development that is appropriate in terms of its location, scale and design. If agreed, it will be important that CLA works closely with local authorities to make sure that the Government’s approach is adopted and integrated into local planning policy across England and Wales.

CLA continues to take the lead on rural broadband availability
The CLA recognised early on how vital broadband and high quality mobile phone coverage was for rural businesses. Despite a number of successes since 2002 – including a government commitment to adopt a Universal Service Commitment broadband speed of 2 megabits per second (Mbps) – one fifth of rural England and Wales still cannot access broadband. Not withstanding the social disadvantages suffered by members, poor broadband availability often makes it impossible for members to let empty business properties and limits communication with potential clients.

Following our 2011 e-petition calling upon the Government to increase the benchmark broadband speed to 5 Mbps as part of the Universal Service Commitment, we will continue to lobby on this issue during 2012 and to ensure that any upgrade takes advantage of superfast broadband technology. In addition, we will also be challenging government to ensure that the mobile phone coverage in rural areas improves significantly and to allow rural businesses to “piggy-back” on available public sector broadband networks by using unused bandwidth.

CLA influences strategy for rural tourism
Rural tourism plays a vital role in the nation's economy, generating around £16 billion per year and the public benefits through being able to enjoy the unique character of the countryside. However, rural tourism businesses – many of them run by CLA members – are frequently hampered by stifling regulation, inappropriate tax rules which discourage investment in tourist accommodation, and a planning system that destroys entrepreneurial spirit.

In 2011 the CLA was a key player in developing the Rural Tourism Action Plan which is an integral part of Visit England’s tourism strategy. As a result, this strategy now incorporates particular emphasis on the need for effective and affordable broadband, an emphasis on the value of promoting local and regional food and recognition of the importance of tourist information offices in rural areas.

During 2012 we will work to ensure that both the Government’s and Visit England’s tourism strategies are implemented in the best interests of our members and we will be publishing a CLA policy statement on rural tourism.

CLA pushes for a modern and thriving equine business sector
Horses play a major role in the rural economy and many CLA members run or support a vast array of equine businesses such as riding schools, liveries, trekking and hacking holidays, stud farms, eventing and horse racing. As the principal organisation for rural land, property and business owners in England and Wales, the CLA is well placed to argue for the value of the equine industry to the rural economy and to support equine businesses through our policy work on issues such as land use, planning, taxation, business rates, rights of way, and health and safety.

In 2012, the CLA will publish our policy and lobby for the changes that we believe will remove many of the hurdles currently facing equine businesses. For example, an amendment to the 1971 Animals Act to help reduce high insurance premiums for equine businesses and the development of a modern, flexible rights of way network to reflect contemporary land management and recreational needs.