Dr Neil Hudson MP for Penrith and The Border has highlighted to the Government the impact of the rising cost of living in rural areas. Dr Hudson is urging the Government to act in the Spring Statement to help these communities.
Dr Hudson said: “I am urging the Government to act urgently to help all our communities and also key industries in Cumbria such as farming and tourism and hospitality. We need urgent action on fuel costs, gas and oil costs, fertiliser costs, as well as action on VAT for the tourism and hospitality sector. The cost of living crisis is hitting households and businesses alike and I am urging the Chancellor to act with emergency measures in a similar way to the support measures that saved so many businesses in the pandemic.”
In his recent adjournment debate on levelling up rural communities in Cumbria, Dr Hudson stressed to the Government these areas are far more reliant on fuel. Penrith and The Border is the largest constituency by land mass in England yet has significant connectivity issues.
On the 18th of March in the Commons, Dr Hudson raised the issue of the increasing cost of living and the impact it is having in rural areas. Fuel, energy and fertiliser costs are biting. Dr Hudson reiterated concerns regarding the costs of domestic heating oil and the reliance that many have on this source of energy to heat their homes in rural areas. During his speech, Dr Hudson urged the Government to listen to these concerns and for the Chancellor to mitigate some of the pressures that those in rural societies face.
Dr Hudson has also written to the Chancellor regarding the legislation to restrict the entitlement to use red diesel and rebated biofuels from April. If individuals or households consume red diesel directly and are not covered by the continued entitlements, they will face increased costs. These concerns have been raised by Dr Hudson to the Chancellor. Dr Hudson has also written to the Home Secretary asking for action on the visa situation so that labour shortages in the food production sector and tourism and hospitality sectors can be addressed.
On the 17th of March, Dr Hudson MP hosted the second in his series of virtual farming road shows with 45 Cumbrian farmers and stakeholders in attendance. The issue of the increasing cost of fertiliser was raised several times as well as the significant impact this is having on the farming community. Dr Hudson has called on the Government to listen and act on these concerns. Dr Hudson stated: “The sharp rise in fertiliser and animal feed costs has had significant impact upon the farming and agriculture sector. I would like to assure all those involved in this industry that I take this matter seriously and have raised this directly to the Government. We have the best farmers in the UK and the Government should be supporting them to continue to deliver the high standards of food production that we all benefit from.” Dr Hudson also met with tourism and hospitality businesses and Cumbria Tourism in his constituency on 19 March to hear their concerns.
For further information on the speeches mentioned above, please follow these links:
