06/11/26 Mayors in rural areas, record October sunshine, recharging chalk aquifers

Six months today voters in Cumbria will go to the polls to vote for the county's first elected mayor. Mayoral Strategic Authorities are central to the Government's policy of devolving more power and funding out of Westminster and into the hands of people who live and work in the English regions. Cumbria will be the first predominantly rural strategic authority with others to follow, including Norfolk and Suffolk who'll be voting for their regional mayor in 2028. What will the 'metro mayor' system of devolved power mean for farming and the countryside?

The James Hutton Institute, which researches crop sustainability and resilience, says its farm near Dundee has had the sunniest October since they started keeping records more than 70 years ago. It means winter crops like barley and winter cover crops that slow erosion and improve soil health will have their roots established in the ground early, which could improve yield next year.

In North Norfolk where stony, sandy soil lies on top of chalk, farmers are discovering ways to recharge, or refill, their chalk aquifers which act as underground reserves of water. Slowing down the run-off of winter rainfall allows water to percolate gradually into the underlying chalk, instead of ending up on roads and arable fields.

Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.