The following motions have been received in accordance with Procedure Rule 16:

Motion received from Councillor Duncan Kerr and supported by the Green Group

It has been widely reported that Oswestry Post Office is one of 115 in the country at risk of closure by the Post Office. This office provides a much needed and valuable service particularly for the elderly and other people with protected characteristics under the Equalities Act.

This Council expresses it absolute opposition to any closure or diminution in services from the Oswestry Post office and calls on the MP for North Shropshire to express in the strongest terms the opposition of residents to this proposal

Following a vote the motion was unanimously supported

Motion received from Councillor Andy Boddington and supported by Councillors Richard Huffer, Tracey Huffer and Rob Wilson

Council will be aware of the concerns of farmers over the imposition of Inheritance Tax (IHT) now that the threshold for Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) has been set at £1 million. This has caused distress among farm owners in Shropshire and beyond, especially those who run smaller and family farms. They fear that payment of IHT by their successors will lead to land being sold to larger farms and investors, ending the centuries old tradition of family farms proving food and protecting the landscape of our county.

Farmers tend to be capital rich and cash poor, especially small farmers. Estimates of the number of small farms with land and business assets valued at £1 million vary from 33% (Treasury) to 66% (Defra). However, the most recent estimate from the NFU suggests that 75% of farms will be affected. It also showed that medium sized farms will not be protected by the ten-year payment window because the IHT payments would be higher than the income on those farms. The average farm sees a 1% return on capital.

The policy IHT will relentlessly erode small family farms. Our future farm landscape will be increasingly large landowners who manage for profit or tax avoidance, not as a livelihood. 

The £1 million threshold is unrealistically low and would damage the small family owned farms in Shropshire. In 2021, Shropshire had 3,686 farms. Of these, more than four in five are under 100 hectares. Agriculture is one of the counties largest employers.

Family farms are important to our county. They are the places in which transfer of knowledge and skills needed to manage farms is inherited from generation to generation. The new IHT regime as proposed would cause irrevocable erosion of that knowledge and the irrevocable loss of family farms.

Motion

This Council supports the family and small farmers of Shropshire. It recognises the important contribution they make to providing food and renewable energy, protecting the county’s ecology and the beauty of Shropshire’s landscape. It recognises that the farming community is a critical part of the social, economic and environmental fabric of rural Shropshire.

Council agrees that:

1.    The Leader writes to the minister for farming and secretary of state for Defra urging them to deploy a fairer tax regime for farmers that ensures that small and medium size farms remain viable and that family farms can remain in family ownership.

2.    The Leader writes to Shropshire’s MPs asking that they use their best endeavours to support family and smaller farms affected by the proposed IHT regime, including lobbying the government to develop alternatives to the 20% at £1 million threshold put forward in the October budget.

On being put to a recorded vote with 58 Members voting for, 0 against and 6 abstentions as follows:

FOR

Councillors Aldcroft, Bardsley, Barrow, Bentick, Biggins, Bird, Boddington, Broomhall, Burchett, Butler, Carroll, Clarke, Dakin, Daies, dean, Elner, D Evans, R Evans, Gill, Gittins, Green, Harris, Hartin, Hignett, Houghton, R Huffer, T Huffer, Hunt, Hurst-Knight, M Jones, S Jones, Kerr, Kidd, Lea, Luff, Lumby, Macey, Minnery, Morris, Motley, Mullock, Nellins, Parry, Picton, Potter, Schofield, Sherrington, Taylor, Thomas, Tindall, Towers, Vasmer, Wagner, Wild, B Williams, M Williams, Wilson and Wynn

AGAINST

None

ABSTAIN

Councillors Bagnall, Connolly, Dartnall, Halliday, Moseley and Parsons

The motion was supported.