NEW LAWS WILL PROTECT LOCAL COMMON LAND
New laws that will improve the management of the common land of County Durham have been welcomed by Helen.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Helen said, “My constituency has 10,000 hectares of commons, the largest of which are Bowes moor, Cotherstone pasture, Barningham moor, Eggleston common, Cockfield fell and Hamsterley common. There are 39 commons in all.”
The Commons Bill is designed to ensure the local and sustainable management of common land to the benefit of the public and the environment. It repeals previous legislation dating back to 1285.
Helen added, “There is a general lesson for us, in all our work on protecting the environment, in the great value of taking collective responsibility. This Bill shows that it is important to continue managing commons in the interests of all stakeholders—landowners, tenant farmers and those with interests in sport and walking.
“In my constituency, that is especially important for the hill farmers and the environment, as part of it is an area of outstanding natural beauty. I especially welcome the democratisation process with the new commons councils being set up and the measures to protect village greens for shared use.”
The Bill has now been passed by Parliament and will become law.
Filed under: Uncategorized on June 30th, 2006
