Following a debate at a meeting of the County Council, leader Councillor Paul Marshall is to write to the Government to express dismay at its decision regarding planned changes to inheritance tax on farms.
During the debate on Friday 13 December, councillors highlighted their concerns about the impact in West Sussex on family farms and on the environment.
The letter will call on the Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs not to proceed with the tax changes, setting out the Council’s concerns that the changes proposed in the recent 2024 Autumn Budget will have a devastating impact on many family farms with little or no impact on those investing in land purely to avoid tax.
It will explain that the emerging West Sussex Local Nature Recovery Strategy requires strong collaboration with local agricultural stakeholders and environmental partners to drive initiatives to protect and enhance biodiversity across the county and also that farms that stay in family ownership are better positioned to continue practices that support wildlife corridors, habitat preservation, and sustainable land stewardship.
The motion that was debated noted that the conservation and protection of farmland across the South Downs National Park, the Chichester Harbour and High Weald National Landscapes and the numerous sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) and nature reserves across the county depend upon the co-operation of land owners, and that family-run farms, handed down through the generations, are better able to support these aims.
The notice of motion on family farms was proposed by Councillor Charlotte Kenyon and was passed following a vote.
