Cross words after motion backing Herefordshire farmers fails
There were angry scenes at a full meeting of Herefordshire councillors after a motion pledging their support for farmers in their dispute with the Government failed to get through.
NFU county chair for Herefordshire Martin Williams accused veteran Liberal Democrat group leader in the county Terry James of being “pathetic” after his attempt to amend the Conservative motion led to it being withdrawn.
And NFU Herefordshire county adviser Ali Parker was also heard to accuse Coun James of “not representing the people of the county” over his intervention.
RELATED NEWS:
Tory councillor Nick Mason’s motion had warned that the government’s proposed tax increases on farms “will see family-owned farms and businesses which have flourished in Herefordshire for generations broken up and sold off.”
If backed by councillors, the council was to have written to Environment secretary Steve Reed and Chancellor Rachel Reeves to protest at the government’s “short-sighted changes… without proper consultation and sufficient scrutiny of the consequences on the rural economy.”
But Coun James inserted a late amendment also calling on the Conservative-run council to “express its deep regret for its short-sighted decision to dispose of council-owned farms which had provided the only realistic path into farming for so many young people in our county.”
What are your thoughts?
You can send a letter to the editor to have your say by clicking here .
Letters should not exceed 250 words and local issues take precedence.
The meeting today was then held up while groups discussed the late amendment privately, before Coun Mason announced he would be withdrawing his motion.
He said afterwards he was “incandescent” at Coun James’ “cheap politicking”, and had withdrawn his motion rather than accept what he described as his “last-minute spoiling amendment”.
A Conservative group statement added that Coun James’ intervention had “seriously undermined our attempts to highlight the devastating impact this proposal will have on Herefordshire’s farms”, and that it was “really disappointed with the actions of some councillors today”.
The group said leader of the council Jonathan Lester would write a letter to the Government anyway, “which other groups are invited to co-sign”.
OTHER NEWS:
Coun James said the Conservative group “didn’t consult with us” on Coun Mason’s motion, which he felt was “hypocritical given the last Conservative administration sold off the county’s farms without even consulting councillors”.
And he believed that some reform of the tax regime is necessary, “to prevent foreign billionaires buying up and handing on land tax-free, and so also denying young people the opportunity to get into farming”.
Green councillor Rebecca Tully said her party was “deeply disappointed not to be able to support our local farmers” via the motion, adding: “Food and our farmers should not be a political football, especially here in Herefordshire.”