THE Government doesn't have a clue about the countryside, leader of West Somerset District Council, Steven Pugsley, told last week's Conservative Conference.
Chosen to lead the countryside debate at the Blackpool conference, he said its lack of funding on roads and public transport in rural areas was a disgrace and the solution was not to ratchet up fuel prices so that country people with no alternative were penalised for driving their cars.
"Is the answer to increases in rural crime the progressive withdrawal of local bobbies from our villages?" he said.
"When farmers are shooting their sheep because they have become virtually worthless, the Agriculture Minister merely delays new charges for extra red tape and reinstates payments to hill farmers which he wanted to cut but found he wasn't allowed to. Is this the answer?
"The 16,000 people who demonstrated outside the Labour Conference in Bournemouth were real people telling the Government to produce real ideas to address the real problems affecting the 11 million people who live and work in the countryside."
Mr Pugsley concluded: "These 11 million are crying out for fair treatment for rural problems and not treatment based on an urban view of a supposed rural idyll.
"Come to Somerset, see for yourselves, and then let us see some meat on the present bones of Labour's Policy for the Countryside."