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Salary depending on experience and extent of responsibilities.
Please call or WhatsApp: 07760 230124
Rob Gray: history-loving boy, former precious painting courier and now Wimborne’s museum curator cataloguing 40,000 pieces of Dorset’s past
Rob Gray is squirrelled away in what he affectionately calls his ‘shed’. This is the engine room of one of Dorset’s smallest and most idyllic museums – Wimborne’s Museum of East Dorset (MED).
Shelving runs down the length of the room, neatly stacked with boxes containing a fascinating journey through time. A stunning Victorian dolls’ house sits alongside a magnificent magic lantern, the 19th century’s image projector. Rows of Roman pottery stand to attention. A firefighter’s battered leather helmet, dating back to Wimborne Fire Station circa 1880, is carefully wrapped. You can’t help but wonder about the head that wore it …
Rob’s been the collections and experience manager at this award-winning museum for just over a year. One of his many jobs is painstakingly cataloguing every single archived item – that’s around 40,000 pieces. He describes it as a labour of love – and possible only with the help of an army of dedicated volunteers.
Rob is also responsible for the 11 museum galleries housed in the beautiful 16th century building. When we speak, he just launching a new exhibition. The current, hugely popular, Rebellion and Revolt, which has been vividly detailing the impact of the English Civil War on East Dorset civilians, will be replaced by ‘I Grew Up 90s’. This marked contrast is an homage to the era of the Spice Girls, Lara Croft, Nokia phones and Tamagotchis. Yes … the 1990s is now consigned to museum-worthy history!
‘I curate two special exhibitions a year and am always working a year ahead, pitching ideas to the museum director and trustees,’ says Rob. ‘We’re a charity and a community museum, and budgets are tight, so I call in favours from other museums. I can be a charmer when I’m asking to borrow!
‘My exhibitions are known for being historically accurate, fun … and maybe a bit quirky.’
All research, writing, interpretation panels, even painting the walls and changing the lightbulbs, is down to Rob. His passion for history is infectious, and you definitely want him on your pub quiz team.
‘As a kid I adored reading. I devoured books from my local library, which had a brilliant historical section. I remember winning a writing project at primary school. I chose the English Civil War. I’d never won anything before – I was really chuffed.’
During school holidays, Rob and his dad – hugely influential in his life – would explore castles and historic houses together in the north of England and Scotland. ‘Other kids wanted to go to games arcades. I wanted museums and castles.’
This history obsession led to studying medieval and modern history at Southampton University. ‘The syllabus covered the Crusades to Hitler. I had a truly inspirational lecturer, Professor Edgar Feuchtwanger OBE. As a German Jew who grew up on the same street as Hitler in Munich, Edgar really could bring history alive – he’d actually lived it.’
Come 1997, the boy who wandered around stately homes got the chance to live in one! Rob was appointed house steward at Dorset’s famous Kingston Lacy. Responsible for organising the cleaning, maintenance, mothballing and repairs of this acclaimed historic home, he was also a live-in security guard: ‘I lived above the shop – but what a shop! When the public left, you had the house and grounds to yourself. That was special.’
Promoted to house and collections manager, Rob had the dream opportunity of combining his love of history with his passion for travel.
‘Artwork is loaned to galleries and museums around the world. Kingston Lacy’s incredible collection of works by Rubens, Van Dyck, Titian and Tintoretto – to name but a few – were in high demand. Acting as a courier, I would accompany these hugely valuable pieces. As you can imagine, all the conditions must be right for travel. It was my responsibility to get the artwork there in one piece and then oversee its installation.
‘That’s a tad stressful. Picture the scene: Italian crane driver, smoking a fag while dangling a multi-million-pound painting from a winch high above a gallery in Rome’s Palazzo di Venezia. I had to cover my eyes!
‘Most people never use their history degree, but I’ve been lucky enough to make a living with mine. Here I am, doing what I love, in this gorgeous museum and aiming to get others hooked too. History never stands still.’
• museumofeastdorset.co.uk
• I Grew Up 90s opens on 16th November and runs until 29th March 2025
Rob’s special quick fire questions:
Among the thousands of Museum of East Dorset exhibits, what’s your …
• Oldest?
Some of the prehistoric tools on display in the Landscape Gallery are thousands of years old.
• Weirdest?
The mummified cat found in the building that is now the Santander Bank in Wimborne High Street. It was used to ward off evil spirits.
• Coolest?
German Luftwaffe chocolate. It was ‘rescued’ (pinched!) from a German bomber that crashed at Sturminster Marshall during the second world war.
• Rarest?
The Iron Age skeleton of a man (400 – 200 BC) in the Life and Death Gallery. His spine reveals that he died of TB, one of the earliest prehistoric cases of TB recorded in Britain.
• Most under-appreciated?
The current exhibition in the Voices Gallery, showcasing the talent of local artist Nic Rawling and The Paper Cinema (on loan).
• Favourite?
Vinegar Valentine cards in the Stationers Gallery. A selection of satirical Victorian Valentine cards – some are downright rude! – they were used to firmly rebuff unwanted amorous attention.
Welcome to The Grumbler, the new open opinion column in The BV. It’s a space for anyone to share their thoughts freely. While the editor will need to know the identity of contributors, all pieces will be published anonymously. With just a few basic guidelines to ensure legality, safety and respect, this is an open forum for honest and unfiltered views. Got something you need to get off your chest? Send it to [email protected]. The Grumbler column is here for you – go on, say it. We dare you.
A recent article on the BBC website highlights an ironic and rage-inducing issue: England is in the midst of a housing crisis, yet nearly 700,000 homes sit empty, with more than 261,000 of them classed as “long-term empty.” But policymakers continue to push for new builds on green belt land and in rural communities. This is not just short-sighted, it’s destructive to both the countryside and the communities forced to bear the brunt of these poor planning decisions. We need to rethink how and where we build, or risk losing our green spaces AND our local communities forever.
Stop building where there’s no infrastructure
The push to build new homes on green belt land and in rural areas is often justified by the perceived need to meet housing demand. However, building in these areas often results in poor planning decisions. Large housing estates constructed on rural land not only erode valuable countryside but also disrupt local communities that aren’t equipped to handle a sudden influx of new residents.
The new estates we have all seen appearing across our county in recent years frequently lack basic services like healthcare facilities, adequate public transport and educational resources, which leads to overburdened infrastructure and a diminished quality of life.
Villages and small towns were not designed to accommodate massive housing projects. They often rely on minimal healthcare services, limited school places and small-scale community resources that work well for the existing population but would buckle under the weight of a large, new influx of residents. The essence of rural life – close-knit communities, open spaces and agricultural land – is undermined by these large-scale developments.
This leads not only to environmental degradation but also to a loss of local character, transforming these once-vibrant communities into a soulless housing sprawl.
Take the recent debacle between Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole (BCP) Council. BCP is struggling to meet its own housing targets, and rather than looking inward to redevelop available brownfield sites or increase housing density, it tried to offload its obligations onto Dorset.
Understandably, Dorset councillors and local MP Simon Hoare were outraged, calling it a “land grab” that threatens to turn Dorset into a dumping ground for poor urban planning. Why should rural areas with limited resources bear the brunt of problems caused by urban councils failing to think creatively or sustainably?
Build where people can live and work
We’re building new homes in areas with little or no economic opportunity, and it just doesn’t make sense. Executive homes are being plonked down in the middle of nowhere while cities – where jobs and infrastructure already exist – are neglected. This needs to change. Rather than building luxury estates in areas that lack the means to sustain them, we should be prioritising affordable and social housing in urban centres. There, people can actually live near their jobs, have access to healthcare, and send their children to properly funded schools.
The empty homes scandal
The most frustrating aspect of all this is the sheer number of empty homes across the country. If local councils were better equipped and funded to bring these homes back into use, it would be a game-changer. Why aren’t we prioritising this? Local authorities like Rushcliffe, near Nottingham, have made progress using tools such as the Empty Homes Premium and enforcement orders, but few councils have the money to pursue this strategy. Central government support, similar to a scheme used in Wales, could significantly bolster local efforts. By providing funds for enforcement, repair and re-purposing of long-term empty properties, the government could both relieve pressure on green belt and provide more affordable housing options.
Preserve farmland and the countryside
Building on agricultural land is particularly problematic. The UK’s agricultural sector is essential not only for food security but also for the preservation of rural traditions and the environment. Converting farmland into housing estates reduces the country’s capacity to produce food locally, making it more dependent on imports and less resilient in times of crisis.
It’s an unsustainable approach and one that threatens both the countryside’s aesthetic and its economic base.
Farmland should be prioritised for farming. New housing, if genuinely necessary in rural areas, should be constructed in a manner that respects the local character and meets the actual needs of the community. A village might need a few homes a year, not a massive estate that doubles its population in one go.
Rethinking development for a better future
If we’re serious about addressing the housing crisis, then we need to be more thoughtful in our approach. Here are a few things I believe will make a real difference:
Reform probate and empty homes policies: Central government needs to reform probate law to prevent homes from remaining empty indefinitely. A stronger national strategy, combined with increased funding for local councils, can bring thousands of empty homes back into use.
Prioritise affordable housing in urban areas: Focus new housing projects in cities and larger towns where infrastructure already exists. Prioritise the construction of social and affordable housing to help those struggling with rising rents and unaffordable homes.
Protect green belt and farmland: Government policy should actively discourage large developments on green belt and agricultural land. Instead, limited and sympathetic developments should be allowed in rural areas based on real community needs, not on developer interests.
Empower local councils: Local councils must be given more control over planning, with a mandate to consult residents thoroughly. New developments should integrate with existing communities rather than overwhelm them.
Let’s get it right
We know we face a housing crisis, but blindly pursuing new builds on green belt land or in inappropriate rural areas isn’t the solution. The focus should shift toward revitalising empty homes, prioritising social and affordable housing and respecting the character of rural communities.
If we get this right, we can address the housing crisis, while still preserving the countryside and revitalising our communities.
Barry Cuff takes a look back at his diary of what happened on his Sturminster Newton plot last month
October was a very wet month, with around five inches of rain, though we did have some warm sunny days with temperatures in the mid to high teens and many nights not falling below 10ºC. These warm wet conditions meant the weeds flourished and our grass paths kept growing. The growing season was lengthened too, and French beans and gherkins were producing right up to the end of the end of the month. The sunshine brought out the butterflies, which were attracted to the flowers on our wildlife patch.
Beetroot – Two varieties, Moulin Rouge and
Cylindra, which we’re harvesting as required for salads and pickling.
Broccoli – Both early and late purple sprouting plants are looking well, and have been staked.
Brussels Sprouts – The buttons are nicely swelling, ready for picking from December onwards – the plants have been staked.
Calabrese – The good weather is keeping both varieties (Ironman and Atlantis) growing and producing nice side shoots.
Cabbage – We’re still cutting Red Drumhead for coleslaw and stir-fries. One head keeps for a month in the kitchen and the plants stand well on the plot with no bolting.
Cauliflower – We’re waiting for Cendis to produce curds in November and December.
Carrot – (Early Nantes) We have a lot of carrots sown over a four-month period – it’s always good to dig fresh carrots when required.
Celeriac – We lifted our first plant early in the month. Smaller than usual, perhaps due to a leaf disease (probably Septoria or Cercospora). We have not seen this before.
Celery – (Golden Self Blanching) This has loved the rain, although we have had a little damage from slugs and woodlice. Plants are lifted as required for salads and soup.
Chicory – (Witloof) This will be lifted next month for forcing.
Chinese Cabbage – We’re now cutting excellent plants for stir-fries.
Courgette – We finally had our last pickings in the middle of the month.
Dwarf French bean – Still producing a few small beans at the end of October.
Wildlife patch – At time of writing we have flowering moth mullein, tithonia, gaura, Michaelmas daisy and echium. These are attracting bees, hover flies and the odd wasp. We’ve seen a whole range of butterflies too – small copper, large white, peacock, red admiral and just one comma. We also had a visit from a southern hawker dragonfly on a lovely sunny day mid month.
Leek – Looking well, perhaps a little weedy. Lifting as required for soups.Manure – We have ordered our usual 30 wheelbarrow loads. Hopefully November will not be too wet so we can spread it when it arrives!Parsnip – (Palace) Digging a root when required, but they do need a frost to improve flavour.Squash – All were harvested and stored by 25th. In total we had seven Crown Prince and seven Butterfly butternut.Sweet pepper and tomatoes (in the greenhouse) – A few pepper plants are still producing small fruits. The tomato plants were removed from the greenhouse and green fruits stored to ripen.Winter salad – All leaves and roots are growing well, and we’re cutting as needed.
Saturday 9th November is a key date in any West Country sports fan’s diary. Badger Beers Chase Day at Wincanton Racecourse sees the Jump racing fraternity descend on Somerset for a quality day of racing on day two of the West Country Weekend, alongside Exeter’s Haldon Gold Cup Day on Friday 8th.
The Badger Beers Chase is a landmark in the racing season, and it has a host of historic winners from Cheltenham Festival winner Frodon to a region favourite Coome Hill. Recent winner Blackjack Magic (above) is trained just down the road by Anthony Honeyball.
Part of the social calendar
General Manager Blaithin Murphy explains of the excitement ahead of the West Country Weekend: ‘Joining together our fixture with the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter Racecourse has been a great success for both courses. We’re heading into our third West Country Weekend now, and we’re delighted with how it is developing. Badger Beers Chase Day is one of my favourite days of the year! We are able to showcase our fantastic racecourse on ITV, and we have been able to build on the day and make racing part of the county’s social calendar.
‘The raceday will have quality action on and off the track – it’s a day packed with fun and entertainment for everyone. Racegoers will be able to try out their jockey skills with the Rodeo Bull challenge and enter the competition to see if they can last longer than a jockey! Or perhaps a trip to the Fun Fair stalls, or the chance to dress to impress and be in with the chance of winning on-the-spot prizes in the Style Awards!’
Racegoers can enjoy live music from the Fat Cats Brass Band as they roam the racecourse, and end the day with an energetic performance by The Show Ponies after learning all about the life of a jockey in the GBR Jockey Hub.
Local stars
Wincanton is considered to be based in the ‘sweet spot’ of British racing. With 14-times Champion Jump trainer, Paul Nicholls based just down the road in Ditcheat and popular former jockey-turned-trainer Joe Tizzard in Sherborne, Wincanton regularly hosts star names at the track and both are likely to have plenty of runners on the card.
Joe Tizzard said: ‘We are West Country trainers and we love the two tracks. It is a big day with the Badger Beer Chase as part of West Country Weekend and it would be a bad job if we couldn’t support it with our best horses. ‘They are in really cracking form at the moment and we are really looking forward to it.’
In the lead up to the big day, Wincanton Racecourse will be welcoming almost 100 children from local primary schools to learn and experience all the racing industry has to offer. From jockey fitness to meeting a retired racehorse, the day will be filled with memorable experiences for the children.
To find out more about Badger Chase Day, and Wincanton’s other fixtures please visit: thejockeyclub.co.uk/wincanton.
Introducing The Dorset Insider, a new column dedicated to shedding light on local matters with unfiltered honesty and a critical eye. The author – a local parish councillor – will remain anonymous for the sake of candid discourse, but readers can rest assured that their identity is known and trusted by the editorial team. This anonymity allows the columnist to speak openly, challenging the status quo and addressing issues that matter most to our community.
After a morning of trawling through my inbox, rammed with emails complaining either about roads transformed into the Somme by maize harvesters or ninja dog owners stealthily leaving unwanted poop on footpaths, the draft Dorset Plan suddenly appeared.
Dorset Council held a Big Conversation with the community this summer, and on the back of it has just produced a draft plan, which it has shared with parish and town councils.
(anyone can view the draft plan here – Ed).
Am I impressed?
Dorset Council has prioritised Weymouth, noting ‘There are 11 areas in Dorset within the top 20% most deprived nationally for multiple deprivation, up from 10 in 2015. 10 of these are in Weymouth and Portland’.
As a local councillor I would have welcomed a discussion about what the plans are to address rural poverty across Dorset. You only need to compare petrol station prices in Blandford and Yeovil to see the premium local residents pay to live here. Weymouth is undoubtedly a deprived part of Dorset, but rural poverty presents unique challenges that are vastly different from those faced in larger urban areas, where access to services, transport and employment opportunities are more readily available.
And when it comes to tourism, there is a world beyond the Jurassic Coast! The rest of Dorset could benefit from more visitors to boost the local economy and support community growth.
I think you missed a bit
However, what is fundamentally missing from the Dorset Plan – and is an entire Big Conversation in itself – is just how one of the council’s statutory responsibilities will be addressed:
no one seems to have any robust plans for adult social care, which swamps the Dorset budgets each year to the tune of £148.3 million, according to the plan.
I’ll admit it seems it’s also being dodged by the new government, but I would have expected the local council plan to have something to say. Dorset has one of the highest proportions of over 65s in the country – I’d like to see some innovative solutions to support older people and for unpaid carers to get the care and support they need. Instead it seems as though everyone is trying to dodge this particular bullet.
As adult social care is usually the excuse given for other budgets receiving less funding, we really need to see radical change or these ambitious new plans of the council’s to save nature will never materialise. And we will also never stop complaining about potholes and gritting … the local highways budget is only £5.7m.
The planning chestnut
I was heartened to see the need for more affordable homes in Dorset outlined in the plan – but what exactly does that mean for local residents? I am particularly aware of the new annual government target of 3,230 homes in the county. There’s been repeated mention of a new town over the last year or two (and far longer) – but where that will end up is anyone’s guess.
In reality, what tends to happen is that homes that people actually want – bungalows for downsizing and houses affordable on a Dorset, rather than a London, wage – mysteriously disappear from some development plans once outline planning is agreed. Instead, communities either end up with expensive luxury homes that the average Dorset family cannot afford, or really ugly box-like structures with impossible parking arrangements. There are several of these large luxury home developments standing unloved and unsold across rural Dorset right now, and many more large developments remain unfinished until the vacant properties can be sold – it leaves me wondering who exactly the developers are building homes for? It doesn’t look as though they were intended for local people (or whatever the latest Starmer definition of a working person is).
I’d like to see the planners have more power to enforce better quality social and affordable houses that genuinely meet the needs of the people of Dorset. And they need to engage more with local parishes.
In particular, we need to ensure the infrastructure to support more people is in place before sites are concreted over and the roads are either flooded or clogged up with cars.
I’d also like to see stronger consideration given to parish Neighbourhood Plans in both planning strategy and decision-making.
I’m keen for the Dorset economy to grow, raising the profile of the county. Sadly, job opportunities have disappeared from my rural area, to be replaced with yet more housing developments – the luxury variety, obviously, because the developers talked the talk.
Why can’t we instead develop more workspaces for small businesses integrated with every new housing development, so people can walk to work instead of relying on non-existent rural public transport or cars?
I’d also like to see a strong focus on our local food security – we have some excellent, innovative businesses in Dorset but so much more needs to be done to protect both food provenance and our farmers, before cows get cancelled due to their perceived methane effect.
A super council?
Finally, I was intrigued to see recent social media posts from Dorset Council suggesting they would like to merge with Somerset and Wiltshire councils, becoming a devolved ‘super council’.
Apart from the obvious implications of one of those local authorities being profoundly in debt, why wasn’t this bombshell in the plan? It’s a massive development, but not mentioned.
I wait in anticipation for The Super Plan …
An early dawn drive captures the magic of mist, light and a sudden, spectacular dance of jackdaws for wildlife writer Jane Adams
I’m driving to Bath. The sun is just peeking above the horizon, highlighting the Dorset landscape one autumn-touched tree, one hedge, one field at a time. The road is empty.
It’s as if I’m the only person alive, and mist, snug like an eiderdown, fills every valley contour. I keep snatching a look.
Ahead of me, a track – black, and a few metres wide – crosses the road at tree height. I can’t work it out at first, but as I draw closer, what at first seemed solid reveals itself as four distinct wires, each one connected to poles on either side of the road. Perched on the wires are black birds: jackdaws. They have their backs to me, and though they are motionless, they look poised, as if waiting.
To their right is a tree, a large yew. I expect it’s where they spent the previous night, it’s by far the largest tree around. Squat and wide rather than tall and poised like an oak or beech, its multitude of thickset branches provide safety from predators.
Maybe my car startles them, or perhaps it was always their intention to leave at that precise second, but as I drive under the wires, every bird overhead takes flight.
At first, they envelop the car and my world gets momentarily darker.
Then they explode into a firework of cinders, scattering left and right, diving and soaring, each bird on its own fixed flight path, utterly haphazard yet perfectly choreographed in their chaos.
I gasp. Laugh.
Then I am suddenly overwhelmed at the raw, simple beauty, and I wipe away a tear.
I want to stop, but there’s nowhere to pull in.
I search for the birds in my rear-view mirror, but they have vanished.
Did I imagine them? I could believe that I had, but for my racing heart.
Jackdaws
In autumn and winter, jackdaws roost together in trees – sometimes a roost will contain several thousand birds – as protection against predators and also to conserve heat.
It may be roosts which provide these intelligent birds with a place to learn, too. Noticing a neighbour that is well-fed, and sharing knowledge of good foraging grounds, may be an added benefit of roosts.
Did you know?
A recent University of Exeter study found that roosting jackdaws wait for the roost’s squawks to reach peak volume before taking off together – they synchronise their flight by calling to one another, using safety in numbers as they take off.
Coughs, colds and costly outbreaks … Andrew Livingston asks if government delays and IT blunders are leaving farmers vulnerable
It’s that time of year, and the coughs and colds have begun, accompanied by the inevitable sore throats and runny noses. The weather is milder than usual, and the germs are having a free-for-all.
For animals, it’s the same. Seasons bring viruses and illness, leading to the use of antibiotics and, in some cases, resulting in death.
In August, Bluetongue – a disease that affects ruminants like cows and sheep, but not humans, and doesn’t pose a risk to public health or food safety – was detected in Norfolk, after infected midges blew over from mainland Europe. Cases have spread across the country, leading to the shut-down of annual countryside shows and restrictions on animal movements from infected areas. Cattle and sheep breeders have been hit hard, forced to keep animals beyond their sale age. Breeders are now incurring costs to feed and protect animals that should have been sold and moved on to their new pastures.
What’s frustrating for the agricultural community is the fact that government vets from the Animal and Plant Health Association expected this to be the case … but failed to take action. The Bluetongue vaccine is only being distributed after an outbreak, which doesn’t stop animals from getting sick – it merely helps prevent death.
A swift vaccine rollout across the east coast and south west could have saved animal lives and maintained the continuity of animal movements.
Computer says no
The arrival of colder weather also means migrating birds, and with that, the now annual risk of returning Avian Influenza (AI). Last year was a quiet year for the disease after the record-breaking decimation of flocks during the winter of 2022/23.
Preparing for the worst, DEFRA has called on every single bird owner in the country to register as keepers in their national database. If you even take your pet budgie for a walk outside at any point now, they need to know about it. Failure to do so can lead to a £2,500 fine.
In true governmental fashion, however, small backyard flocks were threatened with fines from the 1st of October for non-compliance but, hilariously, no one has been able to sign up, due to IT issues with the registration process.
Let’s not mention the eggs
As a final addendum in another bleak month of column writing, I ought to inform The BV’s readers of issues that may lay ahead. Shocker, I know, that the future picture isn’t rosy: certainly not for egg producers, at least.
I’ve been hearing murmurs about Ireland struggling with egg production from an unknown virus. Most reports say birds haven’t been dying, but what’s scary is that the vets are completely unable to say what it is, or what’s causing it.
I don’t believe in scaremongering – this is no bats-being-eaten-in-the-Wuhan-market story! Nevertheless, whatever it is, it’s spreading. A lot of farms around Wales are now reporting a drop in their egg production, resembling closely the tales from across the Irish Sea.
Nationally, we can cope with mini dips in production. What we can’t have is a repeat of the AI season of two years ago, where large proportions of the nation’s bird population were wiped out in months. Thankfully, birds aren’t dying at the moment … but I can’t stress enough how smart, sophisticated and adaptable pathogens are. They’ve survived a lot longer than we have on this planet. Thinking about it, we can’t even create an online form that works … we haven’t got a hope in hell, have we?
It’s the final nail in the coffin of every family farm – a shocked Andrew Livingston responds to the Budget’s tax reforms
Is this the end? Is this when we finally say goodbye to the family-run farm? Does the new Labour government even really care?
I certainly don’t think they get it.
We’d been waiting on tenterhooks for it. The government that was essentially voted in purely because they weren’t the other bunch of buffoons appears to have ended farming as we know it.
In August’s edition of the BV, I spoke of my worry and fear that the Government was going to cut subsidy funding for farmers. I was scared that withdrawing the cash was going to kill the smaller family-run farms. And, to Labour’s credit, in Rachel Reeves’ budget yesterday was an announcement that there was to be no decrease in the subsidy funding, and instead there would be a rise to cover the shortfall in spending that the last lot of Westminster busybodies failed to dish out.
So far so good.
What came next for the farming sector was shocking … genuinely shocking. The removal of the Agricultural Property Relief (APR).
The APR is essentially a protection to ensure that when farm owners die they can pass the land on to their children without having to pay extortionate inheritance tax fees that would cripple the farm.
The Labour government, in its wisdom, has announced that estates will now be protected only up to a value of £1m. I’m sorry… what?
Have they looked at the market? An old farmhouse on its own is worth a million, and that’s without adding a garden, let alone enough land to work on!
Of course, this wouldn’t be an issue if there was some money to be made in farming.
Government ministers must just look to farmers and think, “They live in the countryside. They must be minted … let’s take a bit of their money!”
The wealth misconception
According to DEFRA, the average farm income dropped from £20,000 to £17,800 in 2023. Farm incomes are consistently lower than the average for UK households, and this gap has been growing over the past decade. Farming incomes are now roughly half of what the typical UK household earns. A very quick search found a 225 acre farm outside Bridport, on the market right now for just shy of £4m. It has land and some agricultural buildings, but that price won’t include any farm machinery or equipment. Thanks to the Chancellor, if that farm was passed down to the next generation to keep it in the family there would be a £300,000 inheritance tax bill.
Which works out at £1,333 per acre: last year, a crop of wheat made £75 an acre. How is that going to cover a £1,333 an acre tax bill?
Well, it won’t. Obviously.
In fact, it would take nearly 20 years to pay off – and by then you are dead from the stress of not being able to provide for your children … and the vicious cycle continues.
Up and up and up
I haven’t even touched on the raising of the minimum wage. Of course it’s a great idea for the Government to give people more money. But the rise is three times more than inflation: I’m not an economist, but even I understand that all this is going to do is drive inflation!
How are businesses going to cover the cost of those wages rising? Well, of course they’ll make everything more expensive. Everything in the shops is going to start to go up more in price … best start hoarding tins and start stockpiling for the apocalypse.
You know what really made me scream into my clenched fist? The rich elites all laughing and cheering when Rachel Reeves announced she was going to reduce the draught beer tax by 1.7 per cent on pints in our pubs. To which Reeves happily said: “Which means a penny off a pint in the pub!”
Which is just great. Farmers can’t afford to keep their farms after their parents have died … but hey, at least I can get a pint a penny cheaper.
Well done. Well done.
Someone stick a pitchfork in me.
I’m DONE.
© Bluebean Publishing Ltd
