Labour must stand with Britain’s rural workforce

Hywel Lloyd, co-founder of Labour Coast and Country, has urged readers of Labour List of the importance in understanding the issues facing non-urban communities

He lists issues including the already limited availability of affordable housing, which he maintains the planning white paper will ‘exacerbate’; the lack of connectivity, with ‘vast swathes’ of the country left without any public transport, coupled with limited decent broadband and mobile signal; and a dependence on only a few sectors of economic activity, for example, tourism, wholesale and retail, manufacturing and public services.

He argues that the context of living in less densely populated areas – with an older population, with greater numbers of self- and multiply-employed people, often on lower incomes, and with more small businesses – means Labour have to think ‘differently’.

Lloyd maintains that rural-proofing is a minimum requirement for future Labour policy, and a distinct manifesto for these communities and their challenges is a high priority.

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LabourList - Every job matters. Labour must stand with Britain’s rural workforce