Key facts on the approach to farms and rural land owned by Leicestershire County Council are due to put on the record.
A new report – to be discussed by the council’s cabinet next Tuesday (18 March) - shows that the council owns more acres of farmland now than it did 10 years ago.
The increase from 7,211 to 7,359 acres bucks the national trend which has seen other councils around the country significantly reduce or sell their farms.
The update will be considered by the council’s cabinet after Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council agreed a motion, proposed by Councillor M Mullaney and seconded by Councillor D S Cope at a meeting in January, to ask the county council to ‘halt its policy of selling off county farms’.
Councillor Lee Breckon, cabinet member for resources, said: “The motion agreed by the borough council in January is simply not true and it’s important that we set the record straight.
“Leicestershire is a rural county with farmers at its heart. And we work hard to strike the right balance between supporting farmers through changing economic conditions and managing this valuable asset on behalf of Council Tax payers. That’s why we’ve helped people to expand businesses by taking additional land, to diversify by running a secondary venture and to add value to their produce by selling milk directly to customers from the farm gate, for example.
“I’m proud that we’ve increased the amount of farmland we own and are committed to supporting our farmers.”
The county council has owned farmland for over 100 years, including farms, woodlands, and environmental areas and manages them to generate income and benefit local communities.
The cabinet meets at 2.30pm – watch online via webcast.