Breadcrumbs
Countryside Agency comment on Lord Haskins Rural Delivery Review Preliminary Report - 5 June 2003
Speaking after the public release of the seven principles that Lord Haskins will use to inform his final recommendations on his review of rural delivery arrangements in England, Sir Ewen Cameron, Chairman of the Countryside Agency and the Rural Advocate said:
“The acid test is whether all the customers of Defra’s rural policy will be better off? Will the 10 million or so people living in villages and country towns receive better public services? Will the many millions of visitors to the countryside have a countryside worth visiting and be able to enjoy it more easily? Will all those who live in towns and cities see a better quality countryside on their doorstep ?
“Organisational change inevitably takes the focus off delivery so it is essential to be confident that the returns for the countryside will be good.”
As the government’s countryside adviser, there are three key tests that the Countryside Agency will measure the review proposals against:
· Will the impact be positive for people who live and work in the countryside or for those who visit it?
· Will the review deliver sustainable development for the countryside – that is can we make sure continuing social, economic and environmental needs are addressed together?
· Will organisational change put at risk the programmes that are already delivering positive change?
Ewen Cameron said: “New legislation and major organisational change would be required to deliver Lord Haskins’s first principle (the separation of policy development from delivery). The existing remit of many government bodies working in the rural arena currently combine policy development with elements of delivery where they are best placed to do so. Linking policy development with the reality on the ground is essential if we are to have policies which will work. Defra’s customers will want to be sure that the costs of major change do not outweigh the benefits.
“We will be working with Lord Haskins over the coming months to ensure his final recommendations can live up to the review’s important ambitions.”
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Note to editors
The Countryside Agency is the statutory body working to make the quality of life better for people in the countryside and the quality of the countryside better for everyone.
