Devon County Council has launched a consultation
programme on a £180 million Recovery Plan to help Devon’s economy bounce back from the impact of Foot and Mouth Disease.
The ten-point Plan, which has been backed by the County Council’s all-party Foot and Mouth Task Group, is intended to be a campaigning document to win recognition of Devon’s particular problems and to make the case for significant additional resources.
It has been drafted by the County Council’s Economic Development unit following discussions with tourism and farming representatives.
The Plan calls for:
Marketing - this includes marketing campaigns to help restore consumer confidence in Devon and its reputation as a tourism destination.
Finance for business - this includes an interest free loan scheme, administered through the Small Business Service, aimed at all businesses affected as a result of the Foot and Mouth crisis; assistance towards rate relief and influencing other fiscal and employment policies.
Business Advice - this includes ensuring that an adequate network of business advice is available to help businesses, both in the agricultural and non-agricultural sector cope with change, including advice on the use of compensation monies which farmers receive.
Health and Welfare Support - this includes initiatives to assist the take up of benefits available and ensure that there is sufficient health and counselling support in place to assist individuals and their families.
Training - this includes support for the training and retraining of the workforce, whether in employment or not, to help them overcome change and access to new opportunities.
Regeneration of Communities - this includes initiatives to help the regeneration of coastal and market towns.
Environmental Impact - this includes an assessment of the environmental impact of Foot and Mouth disease and schemes to restore or enhance the environment, particularly where this would otherwise have an adverse tourism impact.
Agriculture : Vision & Capacity to Deliver - this includes establishing a vision for Devon Agriculture through to the year 2020 and the provision of the capacity to deliver it.
Agriculture: Development Programme - this includes programmes and schemes to help the agricultural industry respond to new and more sustainable agricultural practices, to include the marketing of local produce, organic farming, co-operative ventures, forestry, horticulture, new local abattoirs, local processing and renewable energy.
Access to the Countryside - this includes opening up public rights of way on a phased basis, commensurate with minimisation of risk as well as developing new initiatives.
Copies of the Plan have been sent to wide range of organisations and key opinion formers such as Devon’s MPs, South West MEPs, Unitary, District, Town and Parish Councils, the Regional Development Agency, South West Tourism, MAFF, NFU, Devon and Cornwall Business Council, the Countryside Agency, English Nature, Dartmoor and Exmoor National Park Authorities and many more.
The Plan can also be viewed on the County Council’s award-winning Information Devon website at www.devon.gov.uk
As the effects of the Foot and Mouth crisis are being felt now, time is of the essence and the County Council is therefore seeking responses by no later than May 25.
Commenting on the Plan, the Leader of the County Council and Chairman of the Foot and Mouth Task Group, Brian Greenslade, said: “Devon has been harder hit by the consequences of the Foot and Mouth outbreak than almost any other area of the country. We know that already 914 jobs have been lost in the county and research commissioned by the County Council suggests a further 9,000 jobs could go.
“Faced with this severe threat to the county’s economy, all political parties in Devon agree that we cannot afford to wait until last Foot and Mouth case before taking action. That is the reason why the County Council has been driving ahead with a draft Recovery Plan.
“No single agency can deliver that recovery on its own, but the County Council has a duty as the over-arching authority for Devon to co-ordinate that campaign. We all need to work together on this and that is why we’re seeking the views and support of many organisations and people through this consultation programme.
“It is important that Devon is able to go to Government and other agencies with a carefully thought out and costed recovery programme. It is also vital that when we launch the Devon Recovery Plan campaign we are able to lobby for support and resources with a united front.”