Making members’ voices heard: the process of CLA policy
CLA Vice President Joe Evans shares how CLA policy is decided through our committee structure and how members are at the heart of our lobbying with governments
The role of the CLA vice president includes the position of Chair of the Policy Committee, and I have surprised myself at how energised I am about the process of policy development at the CLA (this coming from someone who studied maths at university partly because I am easily distracted when confronted with lots of reading).
People join our association for many reasons – some for the community, many for the advice, and plenty because they know that the CLA is the preeminent voice for rural businesses in Westminster, Whitehall and Cardiff.
However, I wonder how well we explain how our policy direction is decided? We aim to capture opinions from a broad spectrum of members and develop credible, coherent and compelling positions. How do we do that? Through our branch committees, national committees, Polisi Cymru in Wales, the Policy Committee and the CLA Council.
Led by Judicaelle Hammond, CLA Director of Policy, our talented policy team produces discussion papers that explain the issues and pose questions. These papers then wing their way around England and Wales to the 38 branch committees for a local perspective.
The papers are also considered by our national committees, each of which comprises 20 members from around England and Wales and meets three times a year. I have been a Business and Rural Economy Committee member and Chair of the Environment Committee for two years, and have certainly gained at least as much from participating in the discussions as I felt able to contribute.
National committees
The Environment Committee (chaired by Nick Verney) looks at environmental regulation and environment schemes – whether they work or will work, how they can be improved, and the practical effects they have on our members’ businesses. It is not just made up of diehard environmentalists!
The Business and Rural Economy Committee (chaired by Eliza Ecclestone) gets its teeth into “nonfarming” issues such as planning, energy performance certificates, furnished holiday lets and rural connectivity – all of which are crucial parts of what we do.
The Legal, Parliamentary and Property Rights Committee (chaired by Sebastian Anstruther) looks at the law – but it’s not just lawyers on the committee. It tussles with fascinating subjects such as how natural capital can be managed in a tenant/landlord relationship.
The Tax Committee (chaired by Edward Phillips) considers specific tax policy questions. It comprises tax lawyers and accountants as well as non-professional members; tax is something we all have to confront, and hearing from directly affected members is crucial.
The Agriculture and Land Use Committee (chaired by William Price) is where we get into the nuts and bolts of land use policy and farming. We will often send the same paper to this committee and Environment Committee to get distinct perspectives on the same subject.
Natural Capital Markets and Forestry is the CLA’s newest committee. It grew out of the former Forestry and Woodlands Committee and is where we discuss issues affecting forestry, woodlands and the emerging environmental markets, such as for carbon, biodiversity and clean water. Chaired by Polly Montoneri, it comprises a mix of private and institutional landowners and professional members.
The Institutional Landowners Group (chaired by Ian Monks) represents the likes of the Duchy of Cornwall, The Crown Estate and The National Trust. It is useful to hear the views of these bigger holdings on issues that are likely to involve largescale change.
In Wales, the Polisi Cymru (chaired by Iain Hill-Trevor) grapples with all these themes on behalf of our Welsh members. With many devolved powers resting with the Senedd, the Welsh team does a sterling job holding government’s feet to the fire in what has been a challenging time in Welsh politics. We also strive to ensure that Wales is represented on the other national committees.
All these groups are represented by their chairs at the Policy Committee, where we debate the key issues again, and again, if needed. The decisions made at this point become the “CLA view” - to the media, to government and to each other.
This article has been a canter through the process of CLA policy, and I have deliberately stuck to how we do it rather than taking a detour into any policy-specific topics.
The way we consult our members on the detail allows us to provide politicians with fully thought-out policy positions and credible solutions.
We’ll call out stupid decisions or ill-informed opinions when we see them. And we’ll be assertive if a response requires the heft of a collective voice. Our ace card is the way we formulate policy and our rigorous testing of ideas, which means we can be astonishingly influential. Themes on our agenda in the coming months include tax, the land use framework, planning reform and water quality. Our work has never been more important.
Thank you to all those involved in our branch or national committees. If you would like to be considered in the next round of recruitment, please reach out to your regional team.