All-Party Parliamentary Group on Rural Business

All-Party Parliamentary Group on Rural Business
Name	All-Party Parliamentary Group on Rural Business
Formation	2011
Type	Parliamentary group
Headquarters	Westminster
Leader title	Chair
Leader name	David Amess

All-Party Parliamentary Group on Rural Business is a cross-party parliamentary group formed to represent rural commercial interests within the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The group links elected representatives with rural trade bodies such as the National Farmers' Union, Federation of Small Businesses, Chamber of Commerce (England) and regional agencies including Local Enterprise Partnerships and Rural Services Network. It convenes stakeholders from constituencies including Cornwall, Cumbria, Suffolk and Highlands and Islands to address sectoral challenges tied to legislation such as the Agriculture Act 2020 and initiatives like European Union Common Agricultural Policy reform.

History and formation

The group traces roots to parliamentary rural caucuses that emerged after the passage of the Rural Development Programme for England and debates around the 2001 Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreak, bringing together MPs from constituencies such as Devizes, North Norfolk, Penrith and The Border and Lords with interests in rural enterprise. Founding meetings involved figures associated with the Conservative Party (UK), Labour Party (UK), Liberal Democrats (UK) and members linked to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Farming and All-Party Parliamentary Group on Small and Micro Business. Early convenors engaged with organisations including the National Farmers' Union, Country Land and Business Association and trade unions active in rural sectors.

Purpose and objectives

The group’s stated aims include promoting the viability of businesses in regions such as Devon, Somerset, Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire and informing debates on statutes like the Enterprise Act 2016 and the Localism Act 2011. Objectives align with advocacy for infrastructure projects intersecting with Highways England planning, rural broadband initiatives connected to Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport programmes, and access to finance via institutions like the British Business Bank and Barclays. It seeks to influence policy workstreams associated with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Business and Trade.

Membership and structure

Membership comprises MPs and Lords, including constituency representatives from areas such as Herefordshire, Shropshire, Derbyshire Dales and Isle of Wight, together with backbenchers who have also sat on committees such as the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee. Officers have included chairs and vice-chairs drawn from the Conservative Party (UK), Labour Party (UK), Liberal Democrats (UK) and occasionally Scottish National Party representatives. Secretariat support often comes from member organisations like the Federation of Small Businesses or consultancy teams linked to think tanks such as the Institute for Public Policy Research and the Resolution Foundation.

Activities and initiatives

The group organises inquiry sessions, evidence hearings and roundtables featuring representatives from National Farmers' Union, Country Land and Business Association, British Retail Consortium, National Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and regional development agencies including Growth Hubs. It has hosted events in venues such as Portcullis House, Palace of Westminster and constituency surgeries in towns like Truro and Newcastle upon Tyne to surface issues tied to access to finance via British Business Bank programmes, planning appeals in relation to Planning Inspectorate decisions, and connectivity projects funded by the European Regional Development Fund legacy. Campaigns have included calls for vocational training aligned with City and Guilds, apprenticeships overseen by the IfATE and support packages intersecting with measures in the Budget (HM Treasury).

Policy influence and reports

The group has produced briefing notes, reports and recommendations that were cited in debates referencing the Agriculture Act 2020, responses to consultations by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and submissions to the Public Accounts Committee. Its outputs have informed amendments to statutory instruments administered by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and contributed evidence to inquiries by the Environmental Audit Committee and the Treasury Committee. Reports have drawn on data from bodies such as the Office for National Statistics, HM Revenue and Customs and the Rural Services Network to make proposals on business rates relief, rural broadband rollout and transport subsidies.

Partnerships and stakeholders

Stakeholders include representative bodies like the National Farmers' Union, Country Land and Business Association, Federation of Small Businesses, trade unions active in rural sectors and private-sector partners such as Lloyds Banking Group and HSBC. The group liaises with devolved institutions including the Scottish Parliament, Senedd Cymru and Northern Ireland Assembly when cross-border rural issues arise, and engages with academic partners from universities such as University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of York, Aberystwyth University and University of Exeter for research evidence. It has collaborated with international organisations including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and observers from the European Commission on comparative rural development policy.

Criticism and controversies

Critics have argued the group at times reflected interests of large stakeholders like National Farmers' Union and multinational banks such as Barclays, prompting scrutiny akin to debates around other parliamentary groups such as the All-Party Parliamentary Group on WhatsApp controversies and inquiries into APPG funding practices discussed in relation to the Committee on Standards and Privileges. Questions have been raised about transparency of secretariat funding, parallels with controversies involving groups linked to lobbyists associated with firms like Bell Pottinger and the need for clearer alignment with public-interest bodies including the Citizens Advice and Shelter (charity). Accusations surfaced in some local media in The Guardian (UK) and regional outlets concerning perceived prioritisation of constituency interests over national statutory duties during debates on the Agriculture Act 2020 and planning reforms.

Category:Parliamentary groups