House of Lords Specialist Adviser
Professor Mark Shucksmith appointed House of Lords Specialist Adviser
Published on: 15 September 2017
The Director of the Newcastle University Institute for Social Renewal will advise on the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.
Rural communities
The 2006 Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act abolished the Countryside Agency and English Nature and established instead Natural England and the Commission for Rural Communities - which was subsequently abolished in 2013.
The Inquiry will consider whether the structures established by the 2006 Act will be sufficient to ensure appropriate protection for nature and environmental standards and to represent the interests of rural communities across government following Brexit.
The Committee’s questions include asking whether the CRC’s original functions of advocate, adviser and watchdog are being fulfilled; who is taking the lead on policy for rural areas; and what role DEFRA plays is coordinating policy for rural areas.
Policy development
Professor Shucksmith said: “I am delighted to be invited to support the Select Committee in its work in this crucial area. Much has changed since 2006, not least because of the Brexit referendum result, and so the Committee’s work will be highly relevant to policy development over the next few years.”
Professor Shucksmith is internationally known as an expert in rural sociology, and has recently edited the Routledge International Handbook of Rural Studies. His first book No Homes for Locals? (1981) is now regarded as a classic.
Throughout his career he has worked closely with policy and practice, advising governments, informing policy and practice development and engaging with rural communities, while also publishing more than 100 refereed papers and 12 books.
