Gavin Lane says rural areas overlooked again in the Budget

Red diesel and business rates both got a mention. But according to one of the countryside’s biggest voices, the question that matters most to rural businesses was left hanging.

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has responded to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget, with its President Gavin Lane saying the challenges faced by rural areas have been overlooked.

Growth in every postcode?

Gavin pointed to the Chancellor’s own message on growth.

“The Chancellor says he wants growth in every postcode, but once again, the challenges rural areas face have been overlooked,” he said.

The CLA’s response also sets out how it sees things for anyone running a business in the countryside.

“There are too many policies that stifle growth and entrepreneurship in the countryside, and there is still an ignorance of the unique difficulty of running a rural business,” Gavin said.

What the CLA welcomed

The response was not all criticism. The CLA welcomed two measures in the Budget:

• the extension to the red diesel tax cut
• the increase in the business rates threshold

Investment on hold

The bigger concern, according to the CLA, is what happens next for its members.

“We welcome the extension to the red diesel tax cut and the increase in the business rates threshold,” Gavin said. “However, at a time when 9 out of 10 CLA members are cancelling investment in their business, it is hard to see what in this Budget will change their mind.”