Countryside Alliance

There is a strong case for reforming fi****ms licensing. But many of the recommendations in the latest report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) risk making a bad system considerably worse.

As Countryside Alliance Shooting Campaign Manager Roger Seddon writes in the Yorkshire Post, one recommendation gets it right: consolidating the 43 separate fi****ms licensing departments across England and Wales into one centrally administered service.

"The Countryside Alliance has campaigned for this for years and it is now gathering momentum and widespread support. It would deliver consistent and efficient licensing that keeps the public safe and provides a good service to gun owners."

But other recommendations would be "disastrous", including licensing 1.3 million shotguns in the same way as high-powered rifles.

Roger explains where the report gets it so badly wrong in his latest Yorkshire Post column ➡️ https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/a-uniform-fi****ms-licensing-service-would-be-welcomed-by-yorkshire-but-recommendations-miss-the-mark-roger-seddon-8980422

New government, new start. Now is the time for Westminster to reset its relationship with the countryside.

Support growth in every postcode.

Join us at ruralreset.org

In the past two years, there have been at least 27 policies announced or imposed that are harmful to the countryside and rural communities, from the Family Farm Tax and hikes to National Insurance, to proposals to restrict shooting and apply affordability checks to bets on horse racing.

With our Campaign for the Countryside launching on Monday, we are calling on the new Prime Minister and government to change course, and start working with the countryside rather than against it.

Join us and find out more here: https://www.ruralreset.org/

From the family farm tax and trail hunting ban to the growing threat to shooting and racing, the government has spent the last two years picking fights with rural communities.

Now there is a chance to change course.

As our Chief Executive Tim Bonner writes, the new Prime Minister says he wants “growth in every postcode”. But one in four postcodes is rural – so how does closing down farms, shoots, hunts and racing yards deliver growth?

On Monday, we’ll be taking that message to Westminster, where senior Labour and Conservative politicians will warn the new administration about the consequences of continuing with the previous government’s approach.

Will Andy Burnham listen to the countryside?

Read Tim’s latest feature ➡️ https://bit.ly/4gQh2hU

'We have found ourselves in a position where for the first time we are all under attack and we need to stand united'

Our chairman Nick Herbert in today’s Express ahead of the launch of Campaign for the Countryside tomorrow.

Andy Burnham warned not to make an enemy of countryside fighting for survival 'We have found ourselves in a position where for the first time we are all under attack and we need to stand united'

One in four postcodes in Britain is rural, and rural Britain isn't separate from the national economy - it's part of it. The countryside contributes more than £300bn a year and supports over 4 million jobs.

"Rural people are not asking government to solve every problem overnight. They are asking to be heard, understood and treated fairly," said our Chief Executive Tim Bonner to the Express.

It's time for a rural reset.

Join us at https://www.ruralreset.org/

Rural Britain is bigger than you think.

1 in 4 UK postcodes. Over £300 billion contributed to the economy every year. More than 4 million jobs. 675,000 rural businesses across agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and renewable energy.

This is the countryside the Prime Minister promised to grow. It is time to work with it, not against it.

Back the countryside.

Join us at ruralreset.org

Don't miss it! Hampshire Countryside Day is back tomorrow at Bereleigh Estate, in support of the Countryside Alliance and the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

With hound parades, a trail hunting demonstration, gundogs, falconry, the Inter-Hunt Scurry, 100+ trade stands, food, drink and plenty of activities to have a go at, there’s something for everyone.

We’ll be there too, so come and say hello as you enjoy a wonderful day in the Hampshire countryside!

➡️ Sunday 13 September
📍 Bereleigh Estate, East Meon
⏰ Gates open 9.30am

Get your tickets and find out more: https://www.hampshirecountrysideday.co.uk/

The government’s new review into gamebird rearing, releasing and shooting is an unnecessary and unjustified attack on shooting and the rural communities that depend on it.

Shooting supports jobs, businesses and communities across the country, while the associated land management delivers important conservation benefits.

We will be responding to the Call for Evidence and making sure the government hears the case for shooting and the people and communities it supports.

Our analysis has revealed that in just two years, the government has announced or imposed 27 policies that are harmful to the countryside and rural communities.

Chief Executive Tim Bonner speaks to the Yorkshire Post about our call to the government and new Prime Minister to work with rural communities, not against them.

It's time for a rural reset.

Find out more here: https://www.ruralreset.org/

The Prime Minister promised growth in every postcode.

One in four of those postcodes is rural. It is time to work with those communities, not against them.

Back the countryside and show your support at ruralreset.org

It is time to treat the countryside as part of the solution to a united Britain, not a problem or an afterthought.

Facing a tidal wave of public outcry, City of Doncaster Council has rightly paused its plans to ban angling at Askern Lake.

In just two years, the government has announced or imposed 27 policies that are harmful to the countryside and rural communities.

“It is time for this government to grasp that the countryside can be a major part of the solution to Britain's problems, not just a burden or an afterthought. The countryside will deliver growth if it is allowed to do that. All we are asking is that the government recognises the needs of rural communities and works with them, not against them. Now is the time for a rural reset”

✍️Tim Bonner on the Campaign for the Countryside ⬇️

Tim Bonner: The countryside comes to Westminster On 14 September, in Westminster, we will be launching a Campaign for the Countryside to promote the opportunity for the Prime Minister to reset the government's relationship with the rural community.

We are asking the government to work with rural communities, not against them.

It’s time for a rural reset.

Find out more➡️ https://www.ruralreset.org/

Our new analysis has revealed that in just two years, the government has announced or imposed 27 policies that are harmful to the countryside and rural communities.

This includes imposing inheritance tax on farmers and agricultural businesses, as well as plans to ban trail hunting and restrict game shooting.

We are asking the government to work with rural communities, not against them. Now is the time for a rural reset.

Labour has announced 27 policies harmful for rural Britain, Countryside Alliance says The Countryside Alliance is set to launch a new campaign demanding Andy Burnham resets the Government’s relationship with rural Britain.