THE chairman of the Oxfordshire branch of the Country Land and Business Association said rural crime, connectivity and Brexit will dominate the agenda for the county’s rural economy in 2019.

Richard Binning is a director at Savills who also farms in south Oxfordshire with beef and arable.

He said: “Rural areas in Oxfordshire cannot reach their full economic potential without fast, reliable broadband and mobile phone coverage. Even as we enter 2019 some rural businesses are forced to accept poor speeds and coverage, and end up paying for a service they don’t get.”

The CLA has been running its ‘#4GForAll’ initiative to highlight the issue.

Mr Binning added: “Government talk of 5G rollout seems ludicrous when vast areas are still struggling with 4G. It is important to walk before running, so the focus must remain on establishing universal 4G before upgrading areas to 5G.”

Tackling rural crime will also remain a pressing issue next year. The CLA recently had a meeting with Thames Valley Police about the force’s staff resources.

Mr Binning, who has been on the CLA Oxfordshire committee since 2012, said: “We want to ensure that tackling rural crime such as flytipping, hare coursing and machinery theft remains a top priority.”