The South East England Regional Assembly is urging Government to secure an early decision on European support for farming that benefits wildlife and the environment.

Assembly members, meeting on Wednesday (15 November), unanimously backed a resolution calling on Government to act urgently to prevent delays in a new European subsidy for farming schemes. Delays will undermine the Government's Rural Development Plan for England (RDPE), due to start in January 2007.

Together, the subsidy and RDPE will encourage 'Higher Level Stewardship' which supports land management that improves public access, historic environment, landscape, wildlife conservation and natural resource protection.

Chairman of the Assembly, Cllr Keith Mitchell, said:

"The diversity of our natural environment is vital to quality of life in South East England. It falls to farmers to care for our landscapes and countryside. This grant scheme helps farmers to protect and enhance those aspects of the rural environment we especially value. Government must decide on the farming funding this year to ensure that environmental projects can continue."

Contacts

Lesley van Dijk, Assembly PR Executive - 01483 555223

Heather Bolton, Assembly Communications Director - 01483 555220

Notes to editors:

1. Delay to the Rural Development Plan for England 2007-2013 - 49 KB
2. The South East England Regional Assembly is a regional partnership with 112 members representing local authorities as well as social, environmental and business sectors.
3. The Assembly was established by South East local government in January 1999 to provide a representative voice for the region, which covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire and Surrey.
4. Assembly members include elected councillors from the region's 74 local authorities and 37 representatives from other sectors of the community (including business, trades unions, education, housing, health, sports, culture, tourism, faith groups, environmental, community and voluntary organisations) as well as the New Forest National Park Authority.
5. The Assembly has four key roles:
• Advocacy
  Pressing the South East's interests in London and Brussels.
• Accountability
  Scrutinising the plans and performance of regional bodies such as SEEDA to align the region's priorities.
• Regional planning
  Preparing and delivering the South East Plan - the 20-year statutory plan for the region that sets the framework for the sustainable development of the South East.
• Regional policy
  Advising Government on the co-ordination of regional strategies and spending priorities for housing, transport, planning and economic development to improve the impact of public expenditure.

Our vision is for a distinctive, outward-looking, accessible region of prosperous, sustainable communities, with a high quality of life and environment.

Last updated: 21 August 2007