Mayor Unveils Ten-Year Plan To Tackle Rural Housing Shortages And Boost Farming

The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire has officially launched a landmark Rural Action Plan at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate to deliver at least 5,000 new homes and support struggling farming communities.

The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire has launched a new ten-year strategy to support countryside communities and boost the agricultural sector.

The Rural Action Plan, which covers the period from 2026 to 2035, was officially unveiled at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate. The event marks the first time the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority has had a major presence at England's largest agricultural show.

Around ninety-four per cent of land in York and North Yorkshire is classed as rural. People living in these areas face higher than average living costs, older and colder housing stock, and persistent digital connectivity blackspots.

These challenges come at a time when farms, which make up sixty-eight per cent of rural areas, are struggling to turn a profit. A report commissioned by the Mayor found that more than half of commercial farms are economically unsustainable.

The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, said:

"Rural communities have I feel have been let down and left behind by successive governments of all parties frankly and that will not be the case as long as I am Mayor here.

We're supporting our farmers and we're setting out a plan to be bold ambitious plan for our rural communities across the country. That means we have to be ambitious to build the homes that rural communities need to survive. We have to be ambitious about the job opportunities and we have to be ambitious about how we connect those communities to each other.

It doesn't mean we destroy the character of those places but helps to make sure that things work for rule life and to make sure that we can unpick a lot of the challenges we've caused over the last few decades."

To combat these rural challenges, the plan outlines key actions for the Combined Authority to meet by 2035. At the forefront is a commitment to deliver at least 5,000 new rural homes, prioritising affordable, community-led developments across towns and villages. This housing push will be supported by devolved retrofit funding designed to tackle fuel poverty.

The strategy also targets a twenty per cent growth in the rural economy by creating higher-skilled and better-paid jobs in food innovation, clean energy, and creative industries. Furthermore, the combined authority aims to help more than half of farms achieve economic sustainability by linking them directly to public sector supply chains, such as schools and hospitals.

The Head of Strategy at York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Andrew Leeming, said:

"The plan itself, set out an ambition around our rural communities that will be places of ambition, not afterthoughts, where people can afford to put down roots, find good work close to home and leave our children a future worth choosing.

And within that context set out um the series of priorities around housing affordability, improving digital connectivity, certainly piloting transport solutions, developing a rural economy, reviewing rural healthcare provision, and then finally that rural communities have a real voice in the decisions that shape them."

The plan promises to upgrade rural infrastructure by eradicating digital and mobile blackspots, deploying targeted rural crime prevention initiatives, and investing in transport to make walking, wheeling, and cycling a realistic choice for everyday journeys.

The Rural Action Plan builds on the work of the North Yorkshire Rural Commission, established in the autumn of 2019 to tackle long-standing issues affecting countryside communities, including transport, housing, and schools.

North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Councillor Carl Les, said:

"As a council, we are committed to helping to support our rural communities. This is clearly shown by us becoming one of the first local authorities nationally to introduce a 100 per cent premium on council tax bills for second homes to try to free up housing for local people. The work of the North Yorkshire Rural Commission was invaluable to provide an even greater insight into the issues faced by people living and working in the countryside. The new Rural Action Plan will build on this work, and we will work closely within the combined authority to bring lasting benefits to our countryside communities."

Members voted through the strategy at a Cabinet Meeting in Northallerton on Thursday, July 2, ahead of its launch at the Great Yorkshire Show's Innovation Zone, which the Combined Authority sponsored for the first time.

Working with police and fire colleagues, the Combined Authority used its presence at the show to engage with rural communities, drive conversations around energy and growth with two panel sessions, and promote safety.

Mayor David Skaith added:

"The Great Yorkshire Show brings together the very best of our farmers and rural communities. They're the people who understand the challenges and opportunities better than anyone else, and I will take every opportunity to listen to their views. As we launch our ambitious Rural Action Plan to transform our countryside into a place of genuine opportunity, we start as we mean to go on. We're committed to giving a powerful voice to those who call these special places home."