Background

Within the East of England region there are 216 market towns, 62 % of which have populations of between 2,500 and 5,000.

Despite having internationally renowned cities such as Cambridge and Norwich, the East of England does not have a natural identity and the individual counties still seek to retain their own distinctive identities.

In fact when the six counties are examined more closely it becomes clear that they are all very different from one another, with those in the south being very much affected by the influence of London. 

Agricultural Past

In the past much of the East of England's wealth derived from agriculture and related industries, spawning major companies such as Colmans, famous for their mustard, who have survived into the 21st century whilst others such as Norfolk based Burrells or Garrets from Leiston in Suffolk who were at the forefront of the steam revolution across the world have disappeared in obscurity.

Service Based

Today agriculture has declined considerably, with a large percentage of businesses now being in the retail, wholesale and motor trade sectors. Service based industries such as the hospitality and care sectors are also now being increasingly important.

However, 86% of all businesses based in rural areas are small or medium sized enterprises (sme's) with the majority being what are now described as "micro businesses" in that they employ less than ten people.

Future Health

Small businesses are therefore extremely important to the future health of rural economy yet increasingly they have having to contend with rules, regulations and attitudes that owe more to urban areas and viewpoints than rural ones.

This policy paper sets out some ideas for how we feel that can be remedied.