The UK’s new Government is to take forward a key policy initiative championed by the Carnegie UK Trust.
The partnership agreement for the first time coalition government in almost 70 years commits the Government to creating “new trusts that will make it simpler for communities to provide homes for local people”.
The Community Land Trusts movement has long been championed by the Carnegie UK Trust as being a route to tackling the shortage of affordable homes in rural areas.
The coalition is also promising to examine fuel prices and wants to “create a presumption in favour of sustainable development in the planning system”.
Welcoming the news, Kate Braithwaite, Director of the Carnegie UK Trust Rural Programme said that the two coalition parties have shown considerable interest in addressing the difficulties faced by rural communities:
“The promises on Community Land Trusts, fuel costs and sustainability in planning are important ones. We are particularly pleased that our engagement with the political parties over Community Land Trusts is paying off.
“Of course these are specific policy pledges and there are many more areas of rural policy which don’t get a mention in the partnership document. However, looking at the manifestos of the two parties, their approaches to serving the needs of non-urban areas are encouraging.”
Kate Braithwaite says while the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are quite far apart in their thinking in some areas, the common ground around nurturing rural communities is important:
“There is clear indication that greater control and delivery will be handed over to local authorities. Both parties recognise the individual needs that communities have and highlight the importance mutuals, co-operatives and social enterprises will play in delivering these needs.”
To read Kate’s full assessment of all the UK General Election manifestos access via the Fiery Spirits Website.
