Date: 23/07/2019   |   Category - Economic Development and regeneration, News, Planning, Transport & Regeneration

Clarity over future funding arrangements is “crucial” to ensure that rural communities are supported post Brexit, representatives of rural authorities have said this week at the Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd.

Joint chairs of the WLGA Rural Forum, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn and Councillor Rosemarie Harris, met with key partners at the event to discuss revised Welsh Government proposals for supporting rural communities after Brexit.

Welsh Government is currently seeking views on those proposals, as part of its Sustainable Farming and Our Land consultation.

Councillor Rosemarie Harris (Powys), Joint Chair of the Rural Forum said:

“Rural communities are the backbone of Wales. Besides being the home of farmers who play a vital role in delivering food and maintaining our iconic landscapes, these communities encompass a real patchwork of a diverse range of places which are all separately characterised with their own distinct geography, demographic make-up and economies.

“I’m very pleased to have had the chance to informally meet with some of our key partners to discuss these proposals. It is important that we’re able to have these conversations, so that we are able to provide a more comprehensive response to the Welsh Government’s consultation.”

Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn (Gwynedd) Joint Chair of the Rural Forum said:

“Wales as a nation is characterised to a large degree by its many rural areas, and it is clear that rural communities will need to be supported after leaving the EU. But with the added uncertainty posed by the delay of the UK Government’s Spending Review, and with scant detail forthcoming in regards to how rural development arrangements are emulated post Brexit, rural communities in particular are being left in the lurch.

“For those communities to be able to prepare for the changes as best as they can, clarity over future funding arrangement is absolutely crucial. The future viability of our rural economies hinges on our ability to successfully replace EU arrangements and to maintain fair investment in these communities.”

-ENDS-

Notes for Editors

• The WLGA Rural Forum is the forum which represents the interests of nine local authorities in Wales classified as rural, and consists of: Ynys Môn, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Powys, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Monmouthshire and Carmarthenshire.
• More information about Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming and our Land consultation can be seen here: https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/consultations/2019-07/brexit-consultation-document.pdf