𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

When Andy Burnham became Prime Minister he promised “good growth in every postcode”. With one in four postcodes being rural, the Autumn Budget is the first true test of that pledge.

The Countryside Alliance has written to the Chancellor with ten practical measures spanning farming, local enterprise and winter fuel costs. Every proposal provides this government an important opportunity to reset its relationship with the countryside.

A new Prime Minister and Chancellor present a fresh opportunity to do things differently. Express readers will be all too aware of the breakdown between Westminster and the countryside.

Over the past two years, rural communities have faced a staggering 27 damaging policies. From imposing inheritance tax on farmers and agricultural businesses, to plans to ban trail hunting and restrict game shooting, many in the countryside have been left feeling targeted.

Rural Britain contributes over £300 billion annually to the economy and supports four million jobs. Its people are a vital driver of national growth, not a problem to be managed.

John Healey has an opportunity to ease the burden on rural people and help unlock growth. This Budget is the moment to show rural communities that the government is listening.

Farming families who have worked the same land for generations want nothing more than to pass it on. Raising the inheritance tax threshold to £2.5 million was a welcome partial concession, but too many farmers are still suffering, unable to make vital decisions about their livelihoods.

This disastrous, cruel tax belongs in the dustbin of history. Meanwhile, the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme ran out of funds within six hours of opening, leaving countless farmers stranded. The Chancellor must revisit both to restore confidence across agricultural communities.

Additionally, one in ten farmers have added holiday lets to their businesses, renting outbuildings to tourists in an effort to make ends meet. Reported plans to tax holiday lets as second homes would render sound rural businesses unviable and damage visitor numbers. It would mean the properties become liable for council tax, adding thousands of pounds to their running costs and wiping out almost all profits.

For those living miles from the nearest GP surgery, school, or supermarket, a car is not a luxury. It is an absolute necessity. With petrol prices soaring, rural families and businesses pay heavily just to go about daily life. Holding the temporary 5p fuel duty cut is no longer enough. Making it permanent, alongside a temporary VAT reduction on fuel, would offer immediate, tangible relief. Furthermore, off-grid homes reliant on heating oil must not be overlooked while electricity VAT is cut. Scrapping VAT on heating oil entirely would ensure rural households are not left out in the cold.

Village pubs, farm shops and country hotels form the backbone of often fragile rural communities across the country, yet they face immense challenges. If lowering the 15 per cent Employers’ National Insurance rate is impossible, restoring the Secondary Threshold to £9,100 would ease pressure on labour-intensive employers. Extending business rate relief to rural hospitality, cutting VAT to offset new visitor levies and restoring commercial vehicle status for double cab pickups – the countryside’s favourite workhorse – would ease pressure on many rural workers.

Finally, horseracing, Britain’s second most popular spectator sport, supports over 85,000 jobs. Reforming the Horserace Betting Levy and removing unnecessary friction from affordability checks – which have the potential to devastate the industry – will safeguard both the sport and the wider rural economy.

No single Budget can fix every challenge overnight. However, if the government genuinely seeks growth in rural postcodes as well as urban ones, it must act now. The countryside is ready for a reset. This Budget will reveal whether the government is ready too.

Mo Metcalf-Fisher is the director of external affairs at the Countryside Alliance