ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter we outlined the distinctive approach adopted by the British government towards agricultural regulation since the mid-19th century and how, through the UK’s changing position in the global political economy, this had led to a rural development policy which, in broad terms, prioritized national food security. This primary concern is reflected not only in the evolution of agricultural policy but also in the objectives of the postwar town and country planning system which sought, inter alia, to contain urban growth and protect the agricultural land base (Ch. 5). Neither agricultural policy nor the planning system have paid much attention to the welfare of rural communities as such, in contrast to the objectives of rural policy over much of Continental Europe. Rural policy goals have been sought instead through the regulation of land use rather than social provision for those groups that have traditionally earned their living in the countryside.
