A scathing critique from Somerset MP Sarah Dyke has highlighted the detrimental impact of the Chancellor’s Spring Statement on farmers and small businesses in the region. Dyke accused the government of neglecting rural areas, aggravating ongoing crises in health, social care, and local services. The abrupt closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and the potential for further cuts to the farming budget have left farmers disheartened and fearful for their livelihoods. The financial risks and uncertainty have even led some farmers to consider leaving their land fallow, compounding their financial burdens.
Dyke’s criticism extended to the government’s failure to address the so-called “jobs tax”, reform business rates, and offer meaningful support to struggling small businesses and high streets. She emphasized the need to revise the family farm tax to safeguard generational family farms from bearing the brunt of Conservative failures. Furthermore, she expressed concerns about the strain on local services, citing rising costs, national insurance hikes, and unreformed business rates as factors contributing to their potential unsustainability.
The Liberal Democrats, Dyke declared, will persist in their efforts to overturn the family farm tax, secure better funding for public transport, and devise strategies to combat rural crime.