Margaret Beckett Names New Champion Of Landscape Management And Nature Conservation
DEFRA press release: 23 March 2005
MARGARET BECKETT NAMES NEW CHAMPION OF LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT AND NATURE CONSERVATION
Margaret Beckett, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, today outlined progress towards the establishment of a new organisation with the aim of conserving and enhancing England's landscape and wildlife and encouraging people to enjoy and gain benefit from it.
This fulfills a central promise in the Government's Rural Strategy, which was published last July, and furthers Defra's priorities as set out in our 5-Year Strategy last December.
Mrs Beckett announced that the name of the new agency will be Natural England, with the strapline "For People, Places and Nature". This was proposed by the Chairmen of the three organisations following consultation with staff of the organisations and its partners.
The agency will bring together English Nature, parts of the Countryside Agency and most of the Rural Development Service. It will be formally established by January 2007, subject to Parliamentary agreement, through the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill. This was published in draft on 10 February for pre-legislative scrutiny and will be introduced to Parliament as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
Until the legislation is passed, the existing bodies will form a confederation of partners, working together under a common overarching vision and purpose to deliver joint outcomes in partnership. Land managers will find it easier and simpler to get funding, help and advice from a single body. One person will make visits from the confederation, instead of two or more from the three bodies it brings together.
Mrs Beckett said:
"Natural England will play a key role in fulfilling the Government's commitment to a better quality of life for everyone in both rural and urban areas. This name sums up what we want the new agency to be about - protecting and enhancing the national treasure of our green spaces in England for the enjoyment of current and future generations. It will be a champion for wild spaces, for havens of peace in towns and cities, and for our beautiful coastline. I wish everyone involved success with their work and know that with their commitment and determination we will achieve a sustainable natural environment for future generations."
Sir Martin Doughty, Chair of English Nature, said:
"We're excited to come together in Natural England. It's a natural partnership and it makes sense to bring together all the different services we provide to look after the natural environment under one roof. Unifying the three organisations will ensure we have one strong voice speaking out for the needs of rural, urban, maritime and coastal areas. Joining access with nature conservation and landscape will help create wonderful new opportunities for people to get out and enjoy themselves."
Stuart Burgess, Chairman of the Countryside Agency, said:
"So many people are excited about the prospect of the new agency since this will be the first time a body with all these responsibilities under one roof has existed - it's therefore really helpful to be able to start to talk about the name."
John Adams, Chief Executive of the Rural Development Service, said:
"There are great benefits to be gained from this partnership. We are already starting to see the immense potential of working closely together, as we saw earlier this month with the launch of Environmental Stewardship."
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Notes for editors
1. The range of benefits Defra expects the confederation of partners to deliver for customers from 1 April include:
the progressive transfer of SSSI Wildlife Enhancement Scheme agreements into the Higher Level Environmental Stewardship Scheme and establishing only one contact point for all agreement holders;
integrated policy advice to national and regional government consultations, including renegotiation of the EU Rural Development Regulation;
the piloting of a single regional voice in the Eastern Region with all other Regions to follow suit by the end of the year;
management of the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund from the customer perspective as a single scheme;
four pilot projects with the Environment Agency on integrated catchment management which, in particular, will address diffuse pollution and water management issues and allow us to develop our approach in advance of the full implementation of the Water Framework Directive.
2. The Government's Rural Strategy (published in July 2004) set out a clear vision of a better quality of life for all, with sustainable development at its heart. This means:
thriving rural communities and businesses
fair access to services for all in the countryside and reaching those suffering social and / or economic disadvantage
rich diverse landscapes and wildlife, managed and enhanced for the benefit of current and future generations
3. Defra's Five Year Strategy (December 2004) took this forward by setting out how we are putting sustainable development into practice in rural areas.
4. Achieving this vision means making our delivery structures fit for purpose. The Rural Strategy will remove duplication from the customer perspective. It will devolve responsibilities closer to rural people and rural businesses, and free up resources to make a real difference.
5. To deliver the Rural Strategy the Government is:
devolving more decision making and funding to regional and local level to encourage local solutions to local needs
setting up a focused programme to support the rural voluntary and community sectors in tackling social exclusion
launching a programme of action to enable the social enterprise sector to flourish
running a series of local authority-led pathfinder projects across England to pilot innovative approaches to rural delivery at the most local level (outline business plans published 14 March)
working across government to incorporate rural needs in planning and social housing measures, as well as increasing funding and targets, to help the supply of affordable rural housing
replacing 100 separate rural funding streams with three major programmes focused on need and improving access to advice for rural businesses
establishing a powerful rural watchdog and advocate in the new Commission for Rural Communities to hold to account those who deliver to the countryside and rural communities (launched 9 March)
creating a new agency - Natural England - through integration of existing bodies to bring new thinking into conservation and improvement of the natural environment for the benefit and well-being of this and future generations (named today)
6. These actions will further enhance the natural environment and address economic disadvantage and social exclusion in rural areas. They will give rural people and communities improved access to services and a strong voice.
7. Further details of the new agency and ongoing developments in the Modernising Rural Delivery Programme are available on the Defra website:
www.defra.gov.uk/rural/ruraldelivery. See also the websites of English Nature:
www.english-nature.org.uk; the Countryside Agency:
www.countryside.gov.uk, and the Rural Development Service:
www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/rds.
8. A copy of the draft Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill is available from the Defra website:
www.defra.gov.uk/rural/ruraldelivery/bill. The Bill was published in draft on 10 February for a period of pre-legislative scrutiny. The Bill, and accompanying documents, are currently being revised in the light of comments received and, subject to the legislative timetable, will be formally introduced to Parliament in the next session.
9. Further information on the Rural Strategy is available at
www.defra.gov.uk/rural/strategy.