Political engagement in North Shropshire
CLA Midlands host a meeting with Lib Dem MP for North Shropshire, Helen Morgan
The CLA hosted a meeting with members from the North Shropshire constituency with Helen Morgan MP.
Meeting at a member’s venue, the round table meeting allowed land and rural business owners to direct questions to Mrs Morgan about challenges and opportunities they were facing.
This was a really positive meeting where land owners were able to talk about possible solutions they could offer to some of the issues within the constituency
A varied agenda was discussed with questions being asked regarding planning issues within rural areas and the constraints that are being faced, environmental schemes and the balance that is needed for these to work alongside successful food production and the lack of progress with connectivity in the area, to name but a few.
The CLA is the membership organisation for landowners, property and businesses in rural England and Wales. Together, our members own and manage around half the rural land. This land supports a wide variety of businesses including agriculture, forestry, tourism, hospitality, retail, commercial and residential lettings.
Shropshire has a grand tradition of country houses, and much of our land is still maintained in connection with these properties. It is important to acknowledge their cultural and economic output and how important they are to the fabric of the countryside. Like in every sector, there are real problems, and representing North Shropshire well means I will be standing up for people working hard in our most rural settings. Thank you to Richard, Sophie, Natalie and the team at the Country Land Association for inviting me to such an interesting round table discussion. I will be taking away several points, particularly regarding rural crime, planning processes, and the impact of new trade deals.