'It is just wrong' - councillors urge government to rethink 'cruel' farm tax plans with vote

A total of 58 Shropshire Council members voted for the motion - with six Labour members of the authority abstaining.

The chairman of the council, Councillor Vince Hunt had to intervene to stop jeering as the first Labour member announced their abstention on the vote.

It came a day after scores of Shropshire farmers staged their own county protest at the plan - with a go-slow tractor procession on the A5 in Shrewsbury.

The motion was put forward by four of the council's Liberal Democrat members, with Councillor Andy Boddington presenting it to the meeting.

He said: "Shropshire would not be Shropshire without farming, especially without smaller family farms."

He added: "The argument is not that farmers should not face tax like everyone else, it is just it should be better targeted."

Councillor Boddington said that there is concern about the impact on smaller Shropshire farming families.

He said: "There is a real danger this will lead to the end of family farming as we know it."

He added: "By agreeing this motion today we send a message that this council supports farmers in Shropshire, especially on those small farms."

The motion agreed by the council pledges to write to the government urging it to introduce a 'fairer tax regime' for the policy, and also to the county's MPs asking them to support the efforts.

The government's planned inheritance tax changes mean that from April 2026, inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m, which were previously exempt, will have to pay inheritance tax at 20 per cent - half the usual rate.

Speaking during a passionate debate members described the policy as 'cruel', while others implored Labour members not to 'sit on their hands' over the issue.

Lib Dem Councillor Tracy Huffer said: "These are not wealthy land-owners who will be affected, these are hard working families looking to preserve their heritage, to maintain our food security.

"If this policy proceeds we face an irreversible transformation of our countryside. We will witness forced land sales with corporate entities swooping in to acquire our agricultural heritage."

She added: "The social consequences will be devastating."

Conservative Councillor for Corvedale, Cecilia Motley said: "It is to me completely extraordinary that there seemed to be a complete lack of any real research into the position of the farming community before this completely disastrous measure was introduced in the budget."

She warned of the mental health impact of the policy, saying: "I have had suicides of young farmers in my division. It is absolutely heartbreaking and the reason for that is they just cannot tot up the figures, they just cannot see how they go on."

Councillor Hunt said: "This is just wrong, plain and simply wrong. Some of these families have been there for generations, they are rooted in the communities, they are indeed the community roots.

"This needs to be reconsidered and relooked at, these family farms are the heart of our communities and it is just wrong."

Councillor Dan Morris, the authority's Conservative Cabinet member for Highways, but also from a farming family, said the policy is "cruel and ideologically driven".

Conservative Councillor Claire Wild said: "I feel so sorry for all the farmers out there - because the local farmers do so much more than just farm.

"When you are down our particular lane, the farmers always used to brush the lane if it was dirty, if there was a drain blocked he would unblock it.

"What's going to happen is you are going to get agri-businesses who don't care about local communities.

"There families are going to be isolated and left to rot basically. It is so cruel."