A SURVEY published today, June 25, by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) claims that Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are perceived, by almost two-thirds (60 per cent) of respondents, as having a negative impact on issues affecting the countryside.

CPRE asked its local groups about LEP activity regarding issues affecting rural communities and the countryside. These business-led partnerships between the private and public sector are designed to support and promote growth in their areas. However, the research suggests that LEPs may be entrenching inequalities within and between English regions rather than removing them, with investment three times more likely in an already economically buoyant area than one in social need.

Paul Miner, head of strategic plans and devolution at the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: "Local enterprise partnerships are supposed to be more sensitive to the needs of rural communities, businesses and economies than the regional development agencies they replaced. But our local groups are telling us that too often LEPs are remote, back developments that will happen anyway, and are not doing enough to support rural regeneration. Rural businesses, including small farms, account for almost a quarter of all registered businesses in England – their importance to our economy cannot be ignored any more.

"The imbalance of investment between rural and urban areas is a real threat to growth in these communities, and will lead to our precious countryside becoming increasingly neglected in the future. An increase in transparency and the production of a Rural Plan at the very least, is urgently needed to help prevent rural communities from being left behind."

CPRE are making 12 policy recommendations, both for government and LEPs, based on the survey results. They include the requirement for all LEPs to publish a Rural Plan, prioritised investment in sustainable public transport, and the introduction of robust transparency and accountability measures. CPRE believes that though taking sure measures, rural areas will be better supported, and their economic potential utilised.

The survey results claim to demonstrate that many LEPs are failing rural communities by ignoring their economic potential, as well as social and environmental needs.

Despite having a key responsibility in administering the Rural Development Programme for England, only 21 per cent of LEPs featured in the survey were perceived as aiding the development of affordable rural housing and just 14% work to address or improve rural transport.

They claim this lack of housing and infrastructure for those who work for and support rural businesses could hinder the growth of those economies.

The absence of investment in rural economies, which provide 13 per cent of England’s employment, exacerbates issues facing much of the country, such as the need for more regeneration, housing, sustainable transport, broadband connectivity and support for new entrants into farming. It contributes to a growing inequality, which leaves many rural areas behind economically and socially.

The report also suggests that there is a lack of public awareness of LEPs and often a lack of willingness amongst LEPs themselves to engage with the general public. Only 21 per cent of LEP websites that were surveyed appear to clearly provide evidence of their economic activity and less than one quarter of LEPs hold public meetings. Although there have been some signs of improvement following the publication in late 2017 of more stringent Government guidance on governance and transparency.

CPRE believes that LEPs should be expected to produce and publish a Rural Plan. Such a plan would help focus minds on the importance of England’s countryside as an economic and environmental resource that needs better management, and on the need to support and encourage small and medium sized farming enterprises in particular.