Minutes of last AGMMinutes of the Annual General Meeting held at Hoghton Tower, Preston on Tuesday 25 September, 2012.

There were nine apologies for absence.

1. The minutes of the AGM held on 20 September 2011 at Knowsley Hall, which had been previously circulated, were approved and signed. There were no matters arising.

2. The Chairman’s annual report had been circulated and was received by the meeting. The Chairman introduced the new CLA North team and thanked them for their work. He also promoted the work of CLA Insurance Services.

3. ElectionofOfficersandCommittee:

a) Officers

i. The current Chairman Mr Martin Harker was elected as President of the branch for the ensuing year.

ii. The current Vice Chairman The Hon Ralph Assheton was elected as Chairman for the ensuing year.

iii. Mr John Welbank was elected as Vice Chairman for the ensuing year.

b) Branch Committee

The following members retired having served for threeyears,andwerere-election:MrEdwardFairclough, Mr Philip Halhead and Mr Jim Rogerson. Mr Neil Kilgour was elected on to the committee.

4. Branch representatives to Council The following were duly elected as Branch RepresentativestoCouncil:TheHonRalphAsshetonand Mr John Welbank.

5. Anyotherbusiness:None

Old meets new at BrowsholmeBuilt in 1507 and steeped in history, Browsholme Hall is the oldest surviving family home in Lancashire. The Browsholme Hall Estate comprises Home Farm, which extends to 460 acres, a traditional range of farm buildings, 140 acres of woodland and 20 acres of garden, parkland and water. There is a thriving shoot and the hall opens to the public at selected times throughout the year, including most of the month of August.

The AGM will be held in the Tithe Barn, which was converted into a modern conference and wedding venue three years ago at a cost in excess of £500,000. In addition to a popular wedding venue, it also hosts music and theatre performances and a range of community events including a regular farmers’ market.

At the same time Tithe Barn was being developed, Home Farm was also provided with a modern livestock unit. Unsightly buildings were removed and the early 19th century layout of the farmstead was restored. As part of the work, facilities were improved for the thousands of people that visit the hall every year, including car parking that is suitable for the elderly and disabled, as well as new public conveniences and a new café for the public.

Owner and CLA Lancashire committee member, Robert Parker, project managed the whole operation himself, with a build time of just one year. An advisor to the Historic Houses Association, he sourced materials for the barn conversion personally with the help of his wife, Amanda.

Grants totalling up to 42 per cent of the project were secured from the Country Houses Foundation, the North West Development Agency and the Rural Development Plan for England and there was additional grant aid from Lancashire Small Scale Renewables who contributed a 20% grant towards the installation of a ground source heat pump which was part of the project. The Parkers now look forward to welcoming CLA members to their beautiful new venue, as well as the hall itself.

COUNTRY LAND & BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

Lancashire Branch Committee 2012-2013

Chairman: TheHonRCAssheton TheLidgett,Downham,Clitheroe,BB74BL Dr Y M Ball Old Eskham Cottage, Skitham Lane, Pilling, Preston, PR3 6BD R C Banks Esq JP 8 Brookhouse Road, Caton, Lancaster, LA2 9QT T G Bowring Esq MRICS Hawkshead Farm, Halton Park, Lancaster, LA2 9PD W Bradley Esq 126 Higher Lane, Rainford, St Helens, Merseyside, WA11 8AZ J Clegg Esq JP 4 Rakewood, Littleborough, OL15 0AP E Fairclough Esq Causeway Bridges Farm, Burtonwood, Warrington, WA5 4BN P Halhead Esq Norbreck Farm, Cockerham, Lancaster, LA2 0DYPresident: M Harker Esq FRICS FAAV TheEstateOffice,Knowsley,Prescot,L344AG J Houldsworth Esq Pullman House, 2-4 Duck Street, Clitheroe, BB7 1LP T Ibison Esq Dimples Croft, Dimples Lane, Garstang, Preston, PR3 1UA NKilgourEsq EstateOffice,GrosvenorEstate,Abbeystead, Lancaster, LA2 9BQ Mrs B Mackie Rowan Croft, Sandy Lane, Out Rawcliffe, Preston, PR3 6BQ Prof J Moverley MA FIAgE Edgeware House, Brook Lane, Moreton Morrell, Warwick, CV35 9AT P J E Newsham Esq Sellerley Hall, Conder Green, Lancaster, LA2 0BQ R R Parker Esq FRICS Browsholme Hall, Clitheroe Road, Cow Ark, Clitheroe, BB7 3DE I R Parsons LVO FRICS Cheyney Court, Bishops Frome, Worcester, WR6 5AS R G Reynolds Esq Leighton Hall, Carnforth, LA5 0ST J Rogerson Esq Farmplus Ltd, Shay Lane Industrial Estate, Longridge, Preston, PR3 3BT A K Sidebottom Esq FCA Westwind, Bryning Lane, Warton, Preston, PR4 1TN R N Swarbrick Esq Marlings, Green Nook, Longridge, Preston, PR3 2JA Ms A Turner Myerscough College, Myerscough Hall, Bilsborrow, Preston, PR3 0RY S R C Waller Esq FRICS FAAV Smiths Gore, 14 Eastway Business Village, Olivers Place, Fulwood, Preston, PR2 9WTVicePresident: JWelbankEsq RuralFutures,Unit1,TheCreameryEstate, Kenlis Road, Barnacre, Garstang, PR3 1GD

REGIONAL TEAM

RegionalDirector: DorothyFairburnPolicy&PublicAffairsDirector: DouglasChalmersPR&CommsManager: DanielCurtoisRegionalAdviser: JaneHarrisonRegionalSurveyor: JacquiStoddartRegionalAdministrator: NikkiBrown RegionalAdministrator: SarahLister

Aske Stables, Aske, Richmond, DL10 5HGTel:01748907070 Fax:01748907075Email:north@cla.org.uk

cla.org.uk.org.uk

Booking form and ticket application

Pleasecompletetheformonthereverse,detachandsendpromptlytotheregionalofficeaddress – not forgetting to enclose your cheque. Space is limited, so to avoid disappointment please act quickly.

Unfortunately we are unable to make a refund if you have to cancel for any reason.

The Lancashire branch of the CLA would like to thank Smiths Gore for their valued support.

INVITATION TO THE

CLA Lancashire Annual General Meeting

Thursday 19 September 2013Browsholme Hall

This year’s Annual General Meeting, generously supported by Smiths Gore, is to be held on Thursday 19 September at Browsholme Hall near Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 3DE.

Browsholme Hall is the oldest surviving family home in Lancashire and belongs to CLA North member Robert Parker and his family, who have kindly agreed to host the AGM. In recent years the estate has undergone a major investment programme including the creation of Tithe Barn – a modern conference and wedding venue in which the AGM will be held.

Programme for the day

10.30am Registration and coffee on arrival

11am AGM CLA Vice President Welcome and Introduction to

Browsholme by Robert Parker Pre-lunch drinks

1pm Lunch

2pm Estate tours

Notice of the 2013 Annual General Meeting of the Lancashire Branch of the Country Land and Business Association to be held at Browsholme Hall at 11am on Thursday 19 September.

AgendaApologies for absence.

1. Minutes of the 2012 Annual General Meeting held at Hoghton Tower on Tuesday 25 September

2. Report of the branch Chairman, The Hon R C Assheton

3. Electionofofficersandcommittee members

4. Election of branch representatives to Council

5. Any other business of which due notice shall have been given

D U FairburnRegional Director

2012 will probably be most remembered for the appalling weather conditions that we all had to endure - from facing drought 12 months ago to ending the year as the wettest since detailed records began here at Downham in 1865. As I write this in early June we have had an extremely cold dry spring, which is only now giving way to some warmth.

The rural economy has been harder hit than most sectors by the poor weatherwithafinancialblackholeonBritain’sfarmsamountingtomore than £1 billion. Farmers and land managers have lost valuable crops and are also facing huge feed bills for their livestock. It certainly looks as if the effects will have carried over into 2013’s production.

This vulnerability in our food production is another reminder of why the CLA’s role in the current CAP negotiations is so vitally important for securing the future of farming in Lancashire and beyond.

National lobbyingThe CLA has excellent access to ministers in the Coalition Governmentanditspro-growthagenda.Ourinfluencewasclearlyillustrated earlier this year when the Government agreed to relax planning restrictions around disused agricultural building allowing themtobeconvertedwithouthavingtogothroughthedifficultandcostly full planning application process (though do please check the CLA advice note on the subject to avoid the one or two Pooh traps).

The CLA has to be strong to compete for the Government’s ear against the efforts of other campaigning groups, often single interest and well funded, and directly opposing policies that favour our members’ business interests. We can see political developments in Scotland that would further threaten the interests of the owners of rural land and property, including moves to support vicarious liability (where landowners are prosecuted for the wrongdoings of their employees) the absolute right to buy for farm tenants and moves to de-value land. Your CLA membership has never been so important. I thank you for yoursupportandaskyoutocontinuehelpingusinthefighttoprotectlandowners’ rights.

CAP reformThe tortuous negotiations around the CAP drag on. Thank goodness theofficersatBelgraveSquarearelabouringonourbehalvestoensure a fair deal for our farmers, and robustly defending our stance oncapping,greeningandthedefinitionof“activefarmer.”

CHAIRMAN’S REPORTI am delighted to be reporting to you 12 months on from our last AGM at Hoghton Tower.

TaxThere have been a number of well reported taxation threats to landowners including possible changes to Agricultural Property Relief, a Mansion Tax and Land Reform. The CLA is the only organisation thathasasolidtrackrecordoffightingsuchthreats.

Horsemeat/food labellingFood labelling came under the spotlight again recently as a result of the horsemeat scandal. The CLA has been active in the area of food labelling for a number of years. In 2006, we launched the Just Ask campaign to push for those in the food service sector to recognise the importance of labelling on the products served to the consumer. Effective labelling of food products is crucial. But also is the actual provenance of the food on offer. If, as a result of the horsemeat scandal, the consumer is to become more reliant on local sourcing, thenthiswillbeanindirectbenefit.

However this may only be short term and the British shopper will almost inevitably go back to the supermarket, which is why we will continue to send a clear message to the consumer that buying locally guarantees a form of security that clearly has not been the case in the retail chain.

ForestryOur trees and woods are under attack from deadly diseases such as Chalara fraxinea (Ash dieback) and Phytophthora ramorum in Larch, to name but two. We are calling for a culture change within Defra and the Forestry Commission so foresters are recognised as the best early detectors of tree pests and diseases.

CrimeLancashire now has its own Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Clive Grunshaw, to ensure local policing meets the needs of local communities. If you haven’t already made contact with him, I would urge you to do so to ensure rural crime is on the agenda.

CampaigningLast year the CLA campaigned on a range of rural issues including a reduction in red tape for the equine industry, VAT relief on static caravans, a halt to empty property taxes, improved broadband delivery and rights for landowners in the iniquitous compulsory purchase system, to name but a few.

Earlier this year we launched a tourism paper calling on the Government to cut VAT on the supply of rural tourism services from 20 percent to seven percent (as is the case in much of Europe) in a bid to support the industry. We have also just launched a paper on residential letting, calling for an end to the ever-growing amount of redtapethatismakingitincreasinglydifficultforlandlordsofolderbuildings to let properties.

EventsMany of you enjoyed a great visit to Dewlay Cheese at Garstang, earlier in the year and also took advantage of several useful seminars at Myerscough College including housing, tree disease and social

media for beginners. Last year’s AGM at Hoghton Tower was a great day out (despite the rain!). This year we will hopefully be bathed in sunshine at Browsholme, as we enjoy their award winning Tythe Barn.

And finallyIwouldliketogivethreelotsofthanks;firstlyto“Theteam,”underregional director Dorothy Fairburn, for all the hard work they have done on our behalves, over the last year. Secondly, to the branch committee members for their diligent input, and last but not least to you, the members, for your continued support. I look forward to seeing masses of you at Browsholme for the AGM!

Ralph Assheton

Booking form for Lancashire AGM and estate tourMember’sName: MembershipNo:

Guest’sName:

Address:

Tel:

Email:

Price NumberAGM Free AGM, lunch and tour of estate. Please advise of any special dietary requirements. £28.50

Enclosed cheque for £ Payable to the CLA

Please return as soon as possible to reach us no later than Wednesday 4 September andsendwithchequeto:CLANorth,AskeStables,Aske,Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL10 5HG.

Douglas Chalmers meets Defra Secretary of State Owen Paterson

Just Ask – food provenance has a higher profileafterthehorsemeatscandal

Bad weather has dominated the agenda over the last year