OPINION
Turning over a
NEW LEAF? A
General Election is a relatively common thing, even though it seems like an age since we last had one – we have, after all, had three different Prime Ministers since the last one. But General Elections where it seems highly likely that a government will change are less common and present a number of interesting questions, such as what they will do in terms of commitment to landscape, horticulture and the environment. I write this shortly after the election has been declared and so a great deal will no doubt have passed by the time it is read by you, dear reader. I doubt that much of the conversation and debate will focus heavily on our industry and the importance of what we do, but I would be delighted to be wrong. The incumbent government has been notoriously quick to promise and quicker still to renege on those promises. The state of our riverways and beaches has not been so at risk since the industrial revolution. The constant revisiting of whether to frack or not to frack has regularly brought local communities to protest, and rightly so. Tree planting targets have never been hit across the UK, with Scotland, I am pleased to say, coming closest. One area where we are achieving significant success is in the establishment into law of biodiversity net gain. Here, we are ensuring climate positive approaches to construction are undertaken and I welcome this being expended into domestic redevelopments and in the long term to us preventing the further concreting, paving and tarmacking of our green spaces without recourse. On to horticulture, then. Our environment has been taking a kicking in many respects in recent years and so too have the horticulture and landscape industries. We have experienced nothing tangible that I can see in terms of benefit from Brexit; plant import and export is more time consuming, laboured, unsure and significantly more costly since we left the European Union. On top of this, several smaller nurseries across the UK have decided that extra costs and hassle simply aren’t worth it and so have closed, with more on the horizon as nurseries look all the more appealing to children inheriting these sites as housing developments than they do as a career.
With the general election just around the corner, what should our industry expect from the next government, ponders Lewis Normand
Cowboy landscapers continue to operate, and quality landscapers – of which we have many – are having to compete in a cost increased world for work often undervalued by clients. So, what is our ask of new government? Recognition of our work? Value of our contribution? It’s hard to say for sure, but a government that values the environment and their commitment to net zero is one that needs horticulture and landscape. Any new Defra Minister in Whitehall, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands in Holyrood, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs in Senedd and the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in the Northern Ireland Executive, must all be engaged with by our trade bodies with clear asks – asks for the benefit of the hundreds of thousands of UK employees across horticulture, landscape and the environment, and asks for commitment to support the industries through funding, integration in the discussion on how to create a greener economy and how to ensure we can combat rising prices, skills shortages and a low appetite among graduates to join our industries. We need to put better value on what we do. The public needs to understand the positives we bring to the economy, local and broader environment, tourist attraction, and health and wellbeing. Our problem may be that we actually give back so much that it is difficult to succinctly categorise them. If we are to get support and backing, however, we need to find a way to get that through to those who will make the decisions and laws over the next five years at least.
A government that values the environment and their commitment to net zero is one that needs horticulture and landscape
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Pro Landscaper | July 2024
LEWIS NORMAND Lewis has worked in a wide variety of roles within horticulture over a 20-year career. He has lectured on garden design and horticulture, and designed gardens in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. Since 2011, Lewis has focused on nursery sales, now working as sales manager at Bernhard’s Nurseries, and has helped to launch a number of new plants into the UK plant market. He is a specialist supplier to show gardens, supplying more than 100 gardens at major shows.
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