Last updated at 16:43, Monday, 06 August 2012

TIM Farron is a busy man but says he is lucky to be doing the job he loves.

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Finding time for a cup of coffee in between appointments, the Westmorland and Lonsdale MP sat outside his Kendal offices and talked about everything from farming to tourism.

He said there are a lot of major issues facing his constituents.

“It is really important for me to be able to deliver big, tangible successes such as affordable housing and creating jobs,” he said.

“A lot of people in my surgery are in desperate circumstances with finding work and the cost of living.”

The answer, he believes, lies in creating what he calls sustainable communities.

“We need communities that can keep themselves going, ones that don’t see all their young people leaving.

“One in four young people leave in their early twenties and don’t tend to come back.”

Mr Farron said he believed tourism was a crucial factor in keeping communities sustainable.

“Tourism is worth £2.5-3bn to Cumbria and ours is the lion’s share in the Lake District – so it is really important.

“Many people are excited about the return of the University of Cumbria to Ambleside.

“It is probably Britain’s only university village and that creates a backdrop for tourism.”

But if communities are going to thrive, Mr Farron said, we need to address the shortages in quality jobs and affordable housing.

He added: “It is not just protecting jobs but making sure you have got the right sort of jobs. In some ways, younger people have more options.

“It is harder when you get older – when you lose your job in your forties or fifties it is tough.”

And he believes the government has an important role to play in ensuring the people of Cumbria get a fair deal.

As an example, he pointed to the work in parliament to stop farmers being exploited by supermarkets.

“It is quite clear to me why farmers are being ripped off,” he said.

“Powerful people are abusing their positions. It is the same problem as with the banks and (Rupert) Murdoch – power in the hands of the few.

“That is wrong – paying people less than it costs to produce.”

But he believes there is hope yet for the farming industry.

“The UK might be in a recession, but farming last year grew by four per cent,” he said.

“And that tells you a lot about farmers and their ingenuity.

“If you look at it though, this should be the best time in the world to be a farmer.

“Population levels are rising and demand for food will nearly double by 2050.

“The lack of a fair market penalises producers. And the government is finally going to do something about the unfairness by setting up something called the Grocery Code Adjudicator.

“We want an body that can wade in and tell the supermarkets to stop.”

The bill is currently going through parliament, but Mr Farron said he thinks it will pass easily.

It may seem like a lot to take on, but he says he loves being able to make a difference to the lives of his constituents.

“It is hugely rewarding,” he said. “A lot of my job is understanding what people need. It probably helps me a little that, at the time of the last recession, when I was 20, I was out of work.

“It helps a little to have some sense of what it is like not to know where your next pay cheque is coming from.”

First published at 16:09, Monday, 06 August 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk