I’m told by planning officers at Caerphilly County Borough Council that disputes over grazing rights are a private matter between interested parties. The local authority holds a register of common land and village greens, but it has no statutory powers to protect or enforce an individual’s right to graze animals on common land, or so they tell me. The local authority says any such disputes should be settled by recourse to legal advice.

I’ve been working on the case of a constituent within my constituency and a constituent of Andrew R.T. Davies, in that region, both farmers, who wish to graze animals on common land and are finding they’re coming up against quite difficult barriers. Seeking legal advice can be costly and very time consuming, and a barrier—simply a barrier—for many of them. Can the Cabinet Secretary, therefore, ensure that guidance is clear, so that the need to take legal action is minimised, and if necessary, could she decide whether it might be appropriate to update current advice on this matter?