The Rural Development Programme for England in the Northwest – Summary

At a national level the RDPE programme will be managed by a Programme Monitoring Committee made up of representatives from Defra, Natural England, Regional Development Agencies and the Forestry Commission.

At a Northwest level the RDPE programme is managed by a steering group including NWDA, Natural England, the Forestry Commission, Government Office North West and an independent third party chairperson. All of the principal delivery partners have contributed to drafting the Regional Implementation Plan and all are committed to the pursuit of the themes and priorities identified, and to the integrated delivery of RDPE in the Northwest.

The steering group has the responsibilities to:

• Overseeprogrammedeliveryintheregion• ReviewperformanceandtheRegional ImplementationPlan.• Monitorcrossaxisintegration.• Reportonperformance,programme managementissues(focussingon integration,partnershipandbestpractice) toTheRegionalRuralStrategicGroup, NorthWestRuralAffairsForumandthe NationalProgrammeMonitoringCommittee.• Capturebestpractice.• Toensureeffectivecommunications.

For RDPE enquiries in the Northwest regarding Axis 1 and 3 telephone the NWDA on: 01768 861306 / 861321

Contact details for the Local Action Groups (Leader) in the Northwest are to be found on NWDA website.

www.NWDA.co.uk/rdpe

For Axis 2 enquiries please contact:

Natural England – By telephone on 0161 237 1061 or northwest@naturalengland.org.uk by email or visit our website www.naturalengland.org.uk/regions/northwest

Forestry Commission – By telephone on 01768 776 616 or northwest.fce@forestry.gsi.gov.uk by email or visit our website www.forestry.gov.uk/northwestengland-grants

Defra www.defra.gov.uk/rural/rdpe

ManagementofRDPE

Lancaster

Carlisle

Preston

Chester

LiverpoolManchester

Penrith

Kendal

Workington

Whitehaven

Barrow-in-Furness

Blackpool

Blackburn

Southport

Wigan Oldham

BuryBolton

St Helens

StockportWarrington

Runcorn

Birkenhead

Macclesfield

Crewe

Burnley

Rochdale

Salford Ashton-under-Lyne

TheEuropeanAgriculturalFundforRuralDevelopment:Europeinvestinginruralareas.

The Community Strategic Guidelines are based on the policy priorities spelt out in the Gothenburg and Lisbon European Councils, in particular the principle that strong economic performance must go hand in hand with the sustainable use of natural resources. These community priorities have informed the selection of priorities for the European Union’s European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and in turn the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).

The EAFRD was approved in June 2005, to replace the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) to fund rural development under the second pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2007 – 2013. The England programme was approved by the European Commission in December 2007 the RDPE presents the framework for the delivery of the EAFRD in England.

IssuesAn analysis of the socio-economic, environmental and sustainability conditions in the region was carried out with key regional stakeholders to form the basis for the Regional Implementation Plan.

The key issues identified were:

1. CompetitivenessandGrowth The rural Northwest still faces significant long-term economic challenges and some fundamental problems regarding relatively low rates of innovation, enterprise and productivity.

2. ClimateChangeandEnergy Rural economic activity should move towards making a significant contribution to achieving a low-carbon and well adapted region. RDPE offers rural businesses and rural communities the opportunity to take up various forms of renewable energy, eg. Solar, Wind and Hydro.

3. ResourceProtection The region’s natural environmental resources - its natural capital - has an estimated value to the Northwest’s economy of around £2.5 billion. Water protection and land management issues will continue to grow in importance.

4. SustainableAgriculture The Northwest’s agricultural sector is used to adapting and changing to shifting circumstances, such as unforeseen disease outbreaks and an increasingly globalised and cost-cutting market for agricultural products. The challenge is to maintain a viable and sustainable food and farming industry.

5. ForestryandWoodlands Woodland and forestry in Northwest England face several challenges. We have the opportunity to create new woodland (low cover at 6.8%) and make the most of the significantly under utilised resource through sustainable management, the stimulation of new markets and adding value to its products.

6. Biodiversity,LandscapeandHeritage

The region’s rural landscapes are changing due to the effects of climate change, development, renewable energy production requirements and structural reform of agriculture. This change presents challenges but also opportunities for increased environmentally focused management. 7. Skills,KnowledgeTransferandCapacityBuilding

There is a more general need to build and develop leadership within rural communities, to increase levels of vocational training and deliver an increase in levels of knowledge transfer or research, in core areas such as animal welfare, renewable energy, resource efficiency and better business practice.

The 5 Sub-Regional Implementation Plans prepared by Sub-Regional Partners highlight the socio-economic priorities for RDPE funding. These plans cover the rural areas of each of the following;

CumbriaLancashireGreater ManchesterGreater MerseysideCheshire

Copies of which can be found at www.nwda.co.uk/rdpe

There are three main headings (or axes) for the funding available through the RDPE programme. There will also be a fourth, cross cutting axis using the locally led Leader approach to implement measures under the other axes.

Axis I Improving the competitiveness of the farming and forestry sector to be delivered via NWDA

Axis II Improving the environment and countryside to be delivered via Natural England and The Forestry Commission

Axis III Rural quality of life and diversification of the rural economy to be delivered via NWDA

Axis IV The Leader approach which is a cross cutting method

The main mechanism for the delivery of the socio-economic priorities of the RDPE in the Northwest is the Leader approach. Which is a bottom-up, community led delivery method. Delivery is undertaken by Local Action Groups who will ensure that supported activities are within the context of the Sub-Regional Implementation Plans already agreed.

TheNorthwestwillreceiveapproximately£374mofRuralDevelopmentProgrammeforEnglandfundingtoinvestintheregionbetween2008and2013.PartnersintheregionhavedevelopedaNorthwestRegionalImplementationPlantodeterminehowtheseresourcesaretobeusedovertheperiodoftheprogramme.

Introduction-RDPEintheNorthwest

The Northwest Regional Development Agency, the Forestry Commission and Natural England have developed a Regional Implementation Plans, to determine how the RDPE resources are to be used. Uniquely, in the Northwest each of our 5 Sub-Regional Partners have produced Implementation Plans tailored to the agreed regional approach to fit sub-regional priorities.

ThemesidentifiedintheNorthwestThemeOne:Makingagricultureandforestrymorecompetitiveandsustainable.• Toencouragemodernisationanddiversificationoffarm and forestry businesses including adding value to primary produce. • Topromoteefficiencyofresourceusesuchasenergy, water and nutrients. • Todevelopnewmarketsforproductse.g.woodfuel / biomass.

ThemeTwo:Conservingandenhancingtheenvironmentandcountryside.• Conservewildlifeandbiodiversity. • Maintainandenhancelandscapequalityandcharacter.• Protectthehistoricenvironmentandculturalheritage • Promotepublicaccessandunderstandingofthe countryside. • Protectnaturalresources. • Sustainableforestmanagementandthecreationof new woodland resources.

Natural England and the Forestry Commission will deliver these objectives primarily through the Environmental Stewardship Scheme and the English Woodland Grant Scheme.

ThemeThree:Enhancingopportunitiesandqualityoflifeinruralareas.

• Toencourageentrepreneurialandsocio-economic activity.• Topromoteruraltourismandaccess.• Todevelopmicro-business,andsupportrural service provision.

ThemeFour:Developingskills,knowledgetransferandcapacitybuilding.• Improvedskillaccessandemploymentwithinthe farming, food and forestry. • Workwithtrainingnetworkproviderstoincreasethe availbility and diversity of vocational training. • Initiativesthattackletherootcausesoflow performance in the rural economy • Knowledgetransferandinnovation • Leadershipdevelopment • Communitycapacitybuilding

TheNorthwestRuralDevelopmentProgrammeforEngland(RDPE)

European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)

EuropeanandUKContext DeliveryofRDPEwithintheNorthwest

Examplesofthetypesofbeneficeriesandeligibleactivities

Activity Whowillbeeligible

VocationalTraining AgriculturalorForestrybusinessorsocialenterpriseUseofadvisoryservices FarmerswithwoodlandorownersofwoodlandModernisationofAgriculturalHoldings FarmersandLandownersDiversificationintoNon-agriculturalactivities MembersofafarmhouseholdCreationanddevelopmentofmicro-enterprise Existingmicro-enterprisesandnewmicro-enterprisesBasicServicesforeconomyandruralpopulation Businesses,socialenterprises,charitiesandother formallyconstitutedgroups