Council leaders will urge the Government to scrap planned changes to the farming industry and highlight the devastating impact they could have on rural communities and important environmental work in County Durham.
A motion calling for Durham County Council to stand up for local farmers and raise concerns over the future of farming was supported by the Joint Administration this week.
The plea, tabled by Conservative leader Richard Bell, asks leaders to “outline the council’s dismay at the decisions made in the recent Budget” and urge Labour to reverse its decisions to restrict Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief and large reductions in the delinked Basic Payment Scheme.
The region’s farmers perform a “vital service” from growing crops and raising animals for food and clothing, cllr Bell said.
“Yet in recent years, governments have not appreciated this and the new government has further eroded confidence among farmers and the suppliers and contractors that support them,” he added.
Labour is pressing ahead with a 20 per cent inheritance tax rate on agricultural land and businesses worth more than £1 million, which is set to come into force from April 2026.
The measure was introduced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ first Budget, prompting a backlash from farmers who have argued it will force land sales, stall investment, and hurt families hoping to pass their farms on to the next generation.
Conservative member James Rowlandson, a farmer in Barnard Castle East, said: “The lack of recognition of the worth of farmers and agriculture in this country, and the difference it makes to the countryside, is a failure of the present government.”
Calling for a reversal of the Government’s decision and urging the Secretary of State to visit County Durham to meet with him and farmers, cllr Bell added: “We are a rural council and we have a large number of farming families who contribute to the economy of County Durham. We must do what we can to arrest this decline.”
The changes are due to come into force in April 2026, but Labour insisted it would not make a U-turn on its decision.
Councillor George Richardson, also a farmer in his Barnard Castle East ward, said he wants to protect his family’s future farming prospects. “I’ve got a son and a grandson wanting to continue farming,” he told the meeting, “I would hope in the future that is possible because I have a small family farm we work off and we’ve got to support the original motion.”
An alternative motion tabled by Labour members said the new government has significantly changed its budget to restore trust in public finances. While not opposing the purpose of the original plea, Councillor Kevin Shaw criticised the “political opportunism on the eve of the local elections”.
He said: “The new government is in an impossible situation due to a financial blackhole and having to reset the whole economy. Every aspect of life has been affected; we’ve seen our public services decimated.”
Labour’s David Hall, of Sherburn ward, said the hard-working family farms around County Durham deserve protection. He added: “There’s more this council can be doing to support our farms. I have a farm in my area that’s been under the same family for a hundred years and they are worried about what the future holds.”
Campaigners backing the NFU’s Stop the Family Farm Tax campaign attended Wednesday’s full council meeting to show their support for cllr Bell’s motion.
Fifth-generation farmer and NFU North Riding and Durham Chair, Clare Wise, who urged the council to put forward the motion of support, said: “We’re thrilled and grateful today that Durham County Council has sent such a strong message to Government about the vital role farmers play in the economics and community of Durham County and the devastating effects their poorly planned policies will have on them.
“Durham County is the heartland of family farming and relies heavily on the rural community for jobs and a thriving economy. Hard-working people deserve a better deal from this government and today the council have acknowledged this in spades and the local communities are grateful and lucky to have such strong representation.”
