Tag: rural affairs

Church Commissioners Questions: Persecuted Christians, Supporting Freedom of Religion and Belief Abroad, Small Churches in Rural Constituencies, Community Relations, Archbishop of Canterbury

In the House of Commons, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha De Cordova MP, gave the following answers to questions from MPs:

Persecuted Christians

Brian Mathew MP (LD, Melksham and Devizes) asked: 1. What steps the Church of England is taking to help support persecuted Christians in other countries.

Marsha De Cordova MP (Lab, Battersea): The Church of England supports efforts to defend international religious freedoms for Christians or whichever religious group faces persecution. The Church has created parliamentary caucuses involving religious leaders in east and west Africa, and in south-east Asia to support legislation to protect religious freedoms.

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Bishop of Newcastle asks about recent report on access to services in rural areas

The Bishop of Newcastle received the following written answers on 19th September 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Rural England’s State of Rural Services 2025 report and what steps they are taking to improve access to services in rural areas.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about health inequalities in rural areas

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on access to mental health support services for those in isolated and rural areas on 20th May 2025, during a discussion on declining life expectancies and poverty related inequalities:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I welcome His Majesty’s Government’s commitment to bringing forward a child poverty strategy. The interaction between mental ill-health and poverty is well known. Will the strategy address access to vital mental health support services, especially for those in more remote rural areas where they are difficult to access?

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Bishop of St Albans takes part in debate on access to banking for small businesses

The Bishop of St Albans spoke in a grand committee debate on access to banking for small businesses on 1st May 2025, with a particular focus on the needs of rural businesses and communities:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Sharkey, not only for securing this debate but for an interesting and informative introduction setting out a number of important matters. I declare my interests: until two weeks ago, I was president of the Rural Coalition, which is relevant to this speech; I am also a vice-president of the Local Government Association.

I will focus my remarks specifically on the challenges for small businesses in rural areas. They hold significant potential for economic growth and are critical for our economy, but they face distinct challenges around access to banking and financial services compared to urban areas. There are over 500,000 businesses registered in rural areas, and the rural economy employs around 3.8 million people, so it is important that this economy and the small businesses that make up part of it have access to the services that they need to thrive and to contribute to the Government’s growth mission.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of inheritance tax on rural businesses

The Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the impact of inheritance tax on farmers and rural businesses on 1st May 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, there is no doubt that there is some sort of mismatch between the assurances being given and the experiences of some of our smaller farmers, who are deeply concerned at what is going on. What consideration have His Majesty’s Government given to having some sort of clawback clause? If assets were disposed of within, say, seven years after a death, that would deal with the problem of the tax loophole whereby some people are using land simply to get out of paying tax.

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Bishop of Hereford raises issue of morale among farmers and those in rural communities

The Bishop of Hereford spoke in a debate on the effects of the government’s economic measures on farming and rural communities on 3rd April 2025, noting the current low morale among farmers and urging the government to listen to their concerns:

The Lord Bishop of Hereford: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Roborough, for introducing this important debate. I speak as the Bishop of the most rural diocese in the Church of England.

Agriculture provides significant employment and is extremely diverse, from substantial agribusinesses to small family farms, and from large arable enterprises to small livestock hill farms. Prior to ordination, I worked as an agronomist, advising farmers on all aspects of crop production, translating scientific research into the practical solutions commended by the noble Lord, Lord Carrington. I have the privilege this year of being president of the Three Counties Show at Malvern, an event I warmly commend to noble Lords as a splendid day out.

However, over 40 years of involvement in the sector, I can honestly say that I have never seen morale so low nor such disillusionment with the Government’s capacity to understand and respond to the needs of the agricultural industry. A thriving agri-farming industry is essential to the wider health of the rural economy. Family farms are at the heart of this ecology. The inevitable consolidation of units that will ensue from proposed changes in APR and BPR will have huge knock-on effects on support industries, lead to rural depopulation and undermine the viability of many local services and businesses.

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Bishop of St Albans emphasises potential of the rural economy and need for strategic thinking in rural affairs

The Bishop of St Albans spoke in a debate on the effects of the government’s economic measures on farming and rural communities on 3rd April 2025, raising the potential of the rural economy and the need for strategic policy towards rural affairs:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I too am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Roborough, for securing this debate and for his excellent opening speech. I declare my interests as president of the Rural Coalition and a vice-president of the Local Government Association.

I have already spoken in your Lordships’ House on changes to the agricultural property relief and business property relief, so my views are already recorded in Hansard. I lament the sudden closure of the sustainable farming incentive, and the reforms to compulsory purchase in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

If your Lordships’ House will indulge me, I want to focus on two associated areas which are pertinent to this whole debate. First, the rural economy has great potential to contribute to the economic growth that is needed. I think we all believe in this; it is just a matter of how we achieve it. Secondly, I will make a few comments about the almost complete lack of strategic rural policy or effective rural-proofing in government decision-making.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of the ending of the farmers’ resilient fund

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 1st April 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the end of the Farming Resilience Fund on farmers’ mental health.

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Church Repair and Maintenance, Rural Areas, and Church Organs

On 21st March 2025, Marsha De Cordova MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:

Churches: Repairs and Maintenance

Kevin Hollinrake (Con, Thirsk and Malton): To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church Commissioners have made of the potential impact of the Law Commission’s consultation on burial and cremation, published on 3 October 2024, on the finances of local authorities taking over the maintenance of closed churchyards.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about drug related crime in rural communities

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 13th March:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to tackle drug-related crime in rural communities.

Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab, Home Office): The Government recognises the considerable impact of drug use and dealing on individuals, families and communities in rural and urban constituencies. Tackling this is a vital part of our missions to deliver safer streets and improve health outcomes, and that is why we are taking a collaborative, cross-government approach to drugs at a national level.

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