COMMISSION FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES REPORT

That this House notes the recent report of the Commission for Rural Communities; further notes that Stuart Burgess, the chairman of the Commission for Rural Communities, has said that rural areas have up to £347 billion a year of untapped potential; regrets that rural communities are often marginalised by the Government which has led to the decline of the importance of villages; and calls on the Government to implement the findings of the report, namely to install an economic minister to oversee support of rural economies, a rural summit to pursue local business, a rural finance forum to tap into private and public money and a rural innovation initiative to encourage entrepreneurs and ensure access to resources such as broadband.