Staffordshire County Council's cabinet is due to back the new County Farms Policy Statement at its meeting on Wednesday (March 18). ‌Reform UK member Councillor Rhys Machin asked: "Can the cabinet member ensure no county farms are being sold for development purposes? ‌"The county council wrote to the borough council on 3rd March 2026 withdrawing all land from the Staffordshire County Farms estate from Local Plan processes, including AB12 and AB33. This is in line with the Farms Policy Statement which is due to be adopted by Staffordshire County Council at Cabinet in March. All farms being promoted through the local plan process have been withdrawn from local plan activity (and) no farms are to be sold."

Source: Daily Mirror March 17, 2026 11:59 UTC