The Countryside Alliance has welcomed proposals from the Welsh Government to introduce a statutory rural proofing duty. Responding to a consultation on the Rural Proofing and Environmental Sustainability White Paper, the Alliance noted our longstanding support for rural proofing but called for a concerted effort to ensure rural communities are meaningfully considered.
The proposed duty would require the Welsh Government and other public authorities to have regard to rural needs when developing new policies and services. The Alliance suggested supporting it through a more detailed process of Rural Community Impact Assessments (RCIAs), based on proposals we published in 2024.
Under our proposal, an RCIA would be conducted at the design stage of any new policy with the potential to affect rural communities. It would help embed consideration of rural impacts into decision-making, ensuring that policies do not inadvertently impose disproportionate burdens on rural areas and that opportunities to improve outcomes for rural communities are not overlooked.
The Alliance has also agreed that rural proofing should apply across the whole public sector. Decisions made by different public authorities can have cumulative effects on people living and working in rural areas, making co-ordination especially important. Where appropriate, rural proofing assessments should therefore be conducted jointly by public bodies, while retaining clear accountability for each organisation.
The Welsh Government should also provide statutory guidance clearly setting out what public authorities are expected to do. The Alliance pointed to the experience of Northern Ireland, where Rural Needs Impact Assessments were introduced under the Rural Needs Act 2016, as a useful example.
To strengthen accountability further, the Alliance reiterated our proposal for an annual State of the Countryside report, prepared by central government and laid before the Senedd for debate. We have also proposed the creation of a Countryside Champion within the Welsh Government to co-ordinate rural proofing activity, liaise with rural communities and ensure that rural concerns are heard across government.
Rural proofing could have particular value in areas such as land use and environmental policy. Our consultation response highlights how proper consideration of rural impacts could help protect communities and local economies from the unintended consequences of inappropriate tree planting, including where agricultural land is taken out of production.
At the same time, we cautioned against rural proofing becoming simply a bureaucratic or “box-ticking” exercise. Effective statutory guidance, appropriate reporting requirements and a focus on how rural proofing has actually influenced policy decisions will be essential if the new duty is to make a difference.
The Alliance also responded to several of the other proposals made in the wide-ranging White Paper, including measures relating to forestry, littering, fly-tipping and environmental regulation.
The full Countryside Alliance consultation response can be read here.
The Alliance welcomes the Welsh Government’s move towards statutory rural proofing and will continue to press for a system that ensures the distinctive needs of rural communities are properly considered when policies affecting them are designed and implemented.