TORRIDGE and West Devon’s MP (Conservative) convened a Dartmoor Forum in Tavistock recently to discuss issues related to the moor.

The forum, for approximately 200 invited guests and convened by Sir Geoffrey Cox, provided an important opportunity for farming communities and others to engage constructively with the Fursdon review’s conclusions.

The MP continued to follow up his initiatives since 2022 to reset relationships, including those between Natural England and the farming community, and to prompt a coherent and consensual strategy that will safeguard the future of farming families on Dartmoor.

Sir Geoffrey said: “Since 2022, when I convened the first Dartmoor Forum with the CEO of Natural England at the Two Bridges Hotel, I have been determined to see an improved situation in managing the competing priorities that undoubtedly exist on the Moor. I am extremely grateful to David Fursdon for the way in which he conducted his review and for his thoughtful, innovative, and pragmatic recommendations.

“It is vital now that those recommendations are put into action with the full support of all involved parties, and I hope this forum will provide a springboard for their implementation. The attendance of senior national figures, to whom I am grateful for coming, is a mark of the importance of Dartmoor.”