Committee Members:

Association of Hampshire & IOW Local Authorities
Community Action Hampshire
Council for the Protection of Rural England
Country Landowners' Association
Hampshire Association of Parish & Town Councils
Hampshire County Council
Hampshire & IOW Chief Planning Officers' Group
Hampshire Wildlife Trust
MAFF
National Farmers' Union
South East England Development Agency
Sparsholt College Hampshire
The Countryside Agency

The Committee for Rural Hampshire aims to:

promote a just and fair balance in the use and management of Hampshire's rural resources;

sustain the well being of balanced rural communities.

The Committee was set up in 1991 as a result of recommendations in the Rural Development Strategy for Hampshire. It is made up of members from a wide range of organisations with a positive interest in the future of Hampshire's countryside. These include representatives from local authorities, parish councils, the voluntary and community sector, farming and environmental organisations, training and enterprise, further education and government and regional agencies.

The Committee acts as a forum to discuss and draw attention to the rapid changes going on in the Hampshire countryside and the implications of these changes. It informs local government and other organisations, providing an overview of rural issues including economy, communities and the environment in a way in which no other single organisation can.

The Committee has recently decided to become more active in:

lobbying on key rural issues at all levels;

getting more involved at the regional level;

further improving links and communication on rural issues with Hampshire's local authorities;

undertaking a Programme for Action.

The Committee for Rural Hampshire Programme for Action is underway, with Committee members working together to implement a range of initiatives targeting key rural issues. The actions include:

support the work of the Countryside Education Group, which aims to promote an understanding of countryside issues to all school age children throughout the county of Hampshire and the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth.