ELECTION 2017 MANIFESTOS AT A GLANCE

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Sheryl Morris
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1 ELECTION 2017 MANIFESTOS AT A GLANCE This briefing is produced by the CLA External Affairs team for member information. Some of the policies set out in manifestos have been summarised and it is not clear which nations within the UK the parties are proposing their policies apply to. Opinions on individual policy areas do not indicate CLA support for candidates standing for election in the 2017 General Election.

2 CONSERVATIVES GREEN PARTY LABOUR LIBERAL DEMOCRAT PLAID CYMRU UNITED KINGDOM INDEPENDENCE PARTY (UKIP)

3 La TAXATION Trial a Land Value Tax Consider a land value tax Consider a land value tax Commit to Corporation Tax being 17% by 2020 Reinstate the higher level of corporation tax for large businesses Increase corporation tax for larger business while reintroducing the lower small-business corporation tax rate Reverse Corporation Tax cuts from 20% to 17% Wales to have power to set its own rates of tax including Corporation Tax, Air Passenger Duty and VAT Bring forward measures designed to increase the amount of Corporation Tax paid in the UK Exclude small businesses from digital tax return plans Targeted tax discounts for new and existing businesses in Wales including cutting VAT on tourism Exclude self employed from quarterly tax reporting Make longer term reforms to business rates system to address concerns about the way it works Reform business rates to include exempting new investment in plant and machinery Review Business Rates to reduce burdens on small firms, and make them the priority for any future business tax cuts Move towards a turnover based system to replace current business rates Cut business rates by 20 per cent for businesses operating from premises with a rateable value of less than 50,000 CLA Analysis: There are some clear dividing lines between the parties, especially on Corporation Tax with only the Conservatives committing to continue to lower rates. All parties are silent on how they will specifically help unincorporated businesses via the tax system that make up the vast majority of land based rural businesses. Having been dropped from the Finance Bill before the election there is no mention of Making Tax Digital in the Conservative manifesto, it is unclear what this means in terms of their support for it while Labour would exclude small businesses from its rollout. There is widespread agreement that Business Rates require long term reform. Although only Plaid Cymru have suggested an alternative approach which is a new system based on business turnover.

4 BREXIT Establish a comprehensive free trade and customs agreement Maintain membership of the single market Secure continued EU market access and reintroduce the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme Maintain membership of the single market Fight to get the best possible Brexit deal for Welsh industry and agriculture Leave both the EU single market and the customs union Create a network of Her Majesty s Trade Commissioners and be the world s foremost champion of free trade Have trade rules that respect environmental standards and climate commitments Ensure Brexit does not mean an influx of cheaper food into the UK market Ensure that future trade deals require high safety, environmental and animal welfare standards All future trade deals must be endorsed by the National Assembly for Wales Introduce the Great Repeal Bill Replace Great Repeal Bill with an EU Rights and Protections Bill Commit the same cash total in funds for farm support as the CAP until 2022 and devise a new agrienvironment system, to be introduced in the following parliament. Reconfigure funds for farming to support smaller traders, local economies, community benefits and sustainable practices Rebalancing away from direct subsidy and refocusing support towards the public benefits that come from effective land management Ensure that all European funding, including farming payments, is replaced by the UK government. Continue to make available funds that would normally be paid to via the CAP and introduce a UK Single Farm Payment (SFP) CLA Analysis: All the parties accept the result of the referendum, no one is suggesting we should remain a member of the European Union. However, the Liberal Democrats are the party which has set its stall out to maintain as close as possible relationship with the EU wanting to maintain single market membership. On future trade deals with non EU countries both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have made commitments to ensuring that food import standards do not fall while the Conservatives want to ensure the UK is seen as a beacon of free trade. It is unclear what this would mean for the standards of food imports post Brexit under a Conservative Government although before the election Ministers were clear in their commitment to British standards. Plaid Cymru want each devolved nation to have a veto over any future trade deals. The Conservatives have gone further than any other party in committing funding to support farmers through to 2022.

5 WILDLIFE AND NATURE La Prohibit neonicotinoids Suspend the use of neonicotinoids until proven that their use does not harm pollinators Make CCTV recording in slaughterhouses mandatory and post Brexit take steps to control the export of live farm animals for slaughter. Continue to ensure that public forests and woodland are kept in trust and provide stronger protections for our ancient woodland. Produce a comprehensive 25 Year Environment Plan Create Environmental Protection Act to safeguard and restore the environment, protect and enhance biodiversity, promote sustainable food and farming and ensure animal protection. Increased sentences for those convicted of animal cruelty Work with farmers and foresters to plant a million trees of native species and rule out selling off public forest estate Establish a science innovation fund to work with farmers on environmental stewardship Increasing the maximum sentencing for animal cruelty from six months to five years, and bring in a ban on caged hens Plant a tree for every UK citizen over the next 10 years, and protect remaining ancient woodlands. Create a new Wildlife Act for Wales and an Animal Abuse Register for Wales. Install CCTV in every abattoir and deal severely with any animal welfare contraventions Amend the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to give ancient woodlands wholly exceptional status CLA Analysis: All parties are united in their desire to improve animal welfare standards and protect ancient woodland. No party has proposed rolling back the protections that exist with many proposing tougher sentences and stronger protections. The Conservatives have kept their previous commitment to a 25 year plan for the environment although it is unclear when this will be published. Labour want to prohibit the use of neonicotinoids and the Liberal Democrats state they would restrict their use until it is proven they do not harm bees and other pollinators.

INFRASTRUCTURE & PLANNING La Invest 250 billion over ten years via a National Transformation Fund 100 billion package of additional infrastructure investment Continue with HS2 and other major

6 INFRASTRUCTURE & PLANNING La Invest 250 billion over ten years via a National Transformation Fund 100 billion package of additional infrastructure investment Continue with HS2 and other major infrastructure projects Invest in regional rail links and electrification of existing rail lines rather than HS2 and major roads Complete HS2 and extend into Scotland alongside other railway infrastructure projects Significant investment in road and rail infrastructure, including a continued commitment to HS2 Re-open the Carmarthen- Aberystwyth railway and improve other rail services and roads Scrap HS2 and reinvest in existing railways Reform Compulsory Purchase Orders to make them easier and less expensive for councils to use Update compulsory purchase powers to make them more effective as a tool to drive regeneration and unlock planned development National Infrastructure Commission takes fully into account the environmental implications of all national infrastructure decisions CLA Analysis: Every party is committed to further infrastructure with the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats all stating they will complete the HS2 project with Labour even pledging to build new high speed lines into Scotland. Conservative and Labour both focus on the potential use of compulsory purchase powers to accelerate house building, especially by local authorities. However, there is limited explanation of how in practice this could genuinely be a faster more cost effective way of delivering more homes. The CLA opposes any increase in the use of compulsory purchase powers and will continue to press for the removal of barriers and the introduction of incentives for the private sector to develop the homes we need.

7 Meet 2015 commitment to deliver a million homes by the end of 2020 and will deliver half a million more by the end of 2022 Build affordable, zero carbon homes, including 100,000 social rented homes each year by 2022 La HOUSING Build one million new homes including at least 100,000 which are genuinely affordable for rent or sale Reaching a housebuilding target of 300,000 homes a year by 2022 Build one million homes by 2022 Maintain the existing strong protections on designated land Have strong protection for the Green Belt, National Parks, SSSIs and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Prioritise brownfield sites and protect green belt. Start work on a generation of New Towns Create at least 10 new garden cities in England, Prioritise brownfield rather than greenfield or agricultural land for new housing Scrap exemptions on smaller housing development schemes from providing affordable homes Roll out a nationwide scheme to make our housing stock more energy efficient Ensure local plans address housing needs of older people for downsizing Require local plans to take into account at least 15 years of future housing need CLA Analysis: There is a clear recognition that we need to build more homes and each party has its own target as part of its manifesto but they all add up to the same thing, building a lot more homes. Both Labour and the Conservatives have committed to protecting the Green Belt and it will be important to see how this commitment sits alongside a desire to build more homes and suggests more of an urban focus. No party had any measures that were rural specific within their manifestos in relation to housing and it will be important to make sure that the next Government recognises the role rural landowners can play in solving the housing crisis.

8 PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR Stronger existing landlord energy efficiency regulations and re-establish Landlord Energy Saving Allowance Improve protections for those who rent, including encouraging landlords to offer longer tenancies as standard Introduce a living rent through rent controls and more secure tenancies for private renters Introduce controls linking rent rises to inflation and three year tenancies Promote longer tenancies of three years or more with an inflation-linked annual rent increase built in Support the development of renters unions Bring forward consumer rights for renters Give tenants first refusal to buy the home they are renting from a landlord who decides to sell CLA Analysis: Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have a clear drive to increase the minimum length of tenancies to three years. This will, in their view, provide stability to renters. They also want to limit rent rises to inflation. The Conservatives also want to provide tenants with greater security but favour an approach where landlords are encouraged to offer longer tenancies rather than forced to via legislation. The most eye catching policy could be dubbed a tenant right to buy from the Liberal Democrats who want to give a tenant first refusal to buy the property they are renting at market value as determined by an independent valuation if the landlord decides to sell. It is not clear whether the owner of the property would be forced to sell to the tenant at the independent valuation despite a higher offer being made.

9 CONNECTIVITY Deliver Universal Service Obligation work to provide gigaspeed connectivity to as many businesses and homes as possible Support and promote the roll out of high speed broadband. Deliver universal superfast broadband by 2022 Every property in the UK by 2022, to have a download speed of 30Mbps, an upload speed of 6Mbps, and an unlimited usage cap Make ultra-fast broadband available to all of Wales and roll out 5G mobile signal nationwide By 2022 extend mobile coverage further to 95 per cent geographic coverage of the UK Improve 4G coverage in rural areas and new targets for 5G coverage focused on urban areas Work with Ofcom to ensure that mobile phone companies provide fast and reliable coverage in rural areas Invest 2 billion in innovative solutions to ensure the provision of highspeed broadband across the rural UK CLA Analysis: All parties have committed to improving access to broadband with a variety of pledges. Plaid Cymru want to ensure that all of Wales has access to ultra fast broadband while Labour would aim to deliver nationally universal broadband by The Liberal Democrats are the only party to include specific download and upload speeds as part of their manifesto. Mobile coverage was disappointingly not a major feature of the manifestos and although the Conservatives had a specific pledge to improve mobile coverage to 95% of the geographic area by 2022 this is only a 5% increase on the target that must be achieved by the end of 2017.

10 COUNTRYSIDE ISSUES La Allow Free Vote on deciding the future of the Hunting Act in next Parliament Maintain the hunting ban and end the badger cull Develop safe, effective, humane and evidence-based ways of controlling bovine TB Improve natural flood management Invest in flood defences and natural flood management Establish a 2 billion flood-prevention fund Reinstate the Agricultural Wages Board Expand the role of the Groceries Code Adjudicator Increase the powers of the Groceries Code Adjudicator and extend its remit to include businesses further up the supply chain CLA Analysis: The commitment to improve natural flood management from the Conservatives builds on commitments they made during the last Parliament. Pledges from Labour and the Liberal Democrats to increase the powers of the Groceries Code Adjudicator are a reflection of the momentum this issue has gained recently. There are clear dividing lines between the Conservatives and the other parties on the Hunting Act as they are the only party proposing a free vote on its repeal. However, a Conservative majority does not guarantee its repeal as many Conservative MPs are also opposed to repealing the Hunting Act.

11 DEVOLUTION La Bring forward a North Wales Growth Deal Create a Minister for England, to work with the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Deliver proper home rule for Wales and a Welsh Parliament Bring forward a new law to protect Welsh sovereignty and democracy Hold binding local referendum on major developments Expect that the outcome will be a significant increase in the decision-making power of each devolved administration Make the devolution settlement more sustainable as set out by the Welsh Labour Government in its Alternative Wales Bill, including the devolution of policing Drastically reduce the number of reserved subjects and prevent Westminster from being able to override Wales on devolved matters Establish a new independent Commission to oversee an agreed way of redistributing funds across the UK, based on a needsbased formula CLA Analysis: All parties are expecting an increase in the decision making powers for devolved assemblies and parliaments although only the Conservatives do not make a specific pledge to increase powers. Unsurprisingly Plaid Cymru is also pushing for a review of how funds for public spending are distributed across the UK with the view of increasing the amount that is spent in Wales. Labour has the most radical pledge to create a Minister for England with the Department for Communities and Local Government, what their precise role and responsibilities would be remains unclear.

12 Visit the CLA Election Centre for up to the minute news about the election and rural issues. Any questions or comments on the issues in this briefing contact the CLA External Affairs team

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