Environment Secretary, Margaret Beckett, set out an exciting new future for the Countryside Agency and its work in her Rural Strategy published today.  
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Countryside Agency's comment on Government's new Rural Strategy - 21 July 2004

Pam Warhurst, chair of the Agency, welcomed the Secretary of State’s vision and committed the Board and staff to play a major role in translating strategy into action.


Next year will see much of the Agency’s successful demonstration work mainstreamed, with regional development agencies and rural community councils taking it forward.   After primary legislation, about half the Agency will transfer into a new integrated agency for landscape, recreation and nature, providing a better joined up service for farmers and countryside users alike.   And the Secretary of State gave strong backing for a refocused “new countryside agency”, as expert adviser, rural advocate and independent watchdog.

Commenting on the Rural Strategy, Pam Warhurst said: “This is a fifty year landmark.   Since the legislation of the 1940s, nature conservation and landscape protection have come under separate bodies.   But now we know that a joined up approach to habitats and landscapes is essential if the nation is to achieve nature conservation in a way that people can get out and enjoy.   Add in administration of the new incentives for farmers under the reformed Common Agricultural Policy and we will see a body that can better deliver a countryside that everyone can value.

“At the same time, the decision to mainstream our socio-economic demonstration programmes is a vindication of the Government’s spending decisions in the 2000 Rural White Paper².   To date, over half of all rural parishes have invested in their own future with our help – through nearly 1,000 parish plans, over 1,100 improvements in community service provision, and over 1,000 improvements in rural public and community transport.   Now it’s time for local authorities, regional development agencies and rural community councils to turn our initial demonstration into mainstream practice for a sustainable development future.

“At the heart of this announcement is a refocusing of the Countryside Agency’s core role as statutory advocate, expert adviser and independent watchdog.   We have a vital role to play in monitoring whether these new delivery arrangements do deliver for rural people, rural businesses and the environment, and give people assurance that promise turned into reality.   It was a bold decision by the Deputy Prime Minister to establish the Countryside Agency as a statutory body at arm’s length and charge it to report on the progress of government.   Without the distractions of delivery, we will now be more objective in that job” said Pam Warhurst.

The ‘new countryside agency’ will be advocate, expert adviser and independent watchdog: 

  • as rural advocate it will be a strong and independent voice for rural people and communities, especially those suffering disadvantage;
  • as rural adviser it will provide well-grounded, expert advice to government and others on the needs and well-being of rural communities and the countryside, from a sustainable development perspective;
  • as rural watchdog  it will give assurance to Parliament, government and people that policies and delivery on the ground are meeting needs and providing measurable benefits.                                                                                               

Pam Warhurst continued: “The Rural Strategy will create a delivery focus for deprived rural areas, but it is equally important to address the needs of disadvantaged people in the more prosperous areas of the countryside.   How policies are delivered locally has a major impact on those who live and work in rural areas.    The increased emphasis on local delivery must be accompanied by a confirmation of the role and importance of rural proofing³ at ­all  levels of government – national, regional and local.    In the ‘new countryside agency’, we will be working to help them ‘think rural’ and monitoring the effectiveness of rural policies.”

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Note to editors:

For further information or interview contact the Countryside Agency press office on
 0207 340 2906 or 2909 or (out of hours) Isobel Coy on (mob) 07973 94 28 92

The current 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.   Established in April 1999, it is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. More information at http://www.countryside.gov.uk/

¹  The Rural Strategy 2004   was announced in the House of Commons today (21 July) – more information from www.defra.gov.uk/rural or the Defra press office on 020 7238 6751.

² ³ The Rural White Paper (2000)  introduced the Government’s commitment to rural proofing policy development and gave the Countryside Agency responsibility for assessing departmental progress.

New urban-rural definitions for England and Wales announced today (created by the Countryside Agency, Defra, ONS, ODPM and the Welsh Assembly) will provide a much more detailed and comprehensive classification looking at both settlement size/type and sparsity.  http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/nrudp.asp