Foundation urges government to implement Commons Act 2006

Julia Aglionby, Chairman of the Foundation for Common Land has written to Richard Benyon MP, Parliamentary Under-secretary, Defra. In her letter Julia asks Mr. Benyon to attend to two issues with regard the implementation of the Commons Act 2006; firstly its actual implementation and secondly a specific issue on the apportionment of rights.

Six years on from passing the Commons Act, the vast majority of Part 1 is not yet in force. This means that in most of the country the the commons registers held by county councils cannot be updated. FCL thinks this is a nonsense as it is imposing costs on commoners and perpetuating uncertainties among commoners and the owners of common land. In line with the Macdonald report’s recommendation to simplify regulatory burden on farmers FCL requests that the implementation of the Act is expedited. This will allow more effective management of commons and the consequently their smoother passage into Environmental Stewardship not only assisting farm businesses but also the recovery of the many Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Biodiversity Action Plan habitats on commons.

We will keep you informed of progress.

To read the full letter click on the file below.