Rural Scotland People, Prosperity and Partnership

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The Consultations

The consultation produced responses from a wide variety of sources, each with its own perspective on the social and economic realities of rural life in Scotland. All the responses, where the respondent permitted it, have been placed in The Scottish Office Library for public examination. This annex records some of the views expressed, without comment or other indication of the Government response to these issues.

The comments noted here are drawn from the written comments received in response to approaches to over 900 organisations with an interest in rural Scotland.

• A much more comprehensive and integrated approach towards local health service provision; education; and rural housing strategies was required.

• Those involved in rural representative bodies and in professional or trade associations wanted more to be done to encourage and develop meaningful local involvement in the decision-making process. Rural populations feel remote from centres of power and that their views will be disregarded.

• Environment interests tend to be promoted at the expense of the economic well-being of local communities For example, local populations should have more influence on the designation of SSSIs.

• Not all rural areas are remote: the Central Belt, for example, has a large rural population whose interests cannot be separated from those of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

• The richness and complexity of rural societies, in which social, economic, environmental and demographic factors are all inextricably interlinked and interwoven, will require the development of coherent and comprehensive strategies.

• Local people, businesses and other interests seek a strategic approach to Government policies in rural Scotland.

• More effective use and targeting of existing resources is needed. For this to be achieved, delivery mechanisms must be made more effective and must incorporate an integrated partnership and "bottom-up" approach.

• Rural disadvantage, social exclusion, poverty and the difficulties faced by new small business in rural areas needed to be tackled more vigorously.

• There should be a rural aid fund with priorities established at a Scottish level aimed at both geographical areas and priority client groups. Resources should be delivered through existing mechanisms co-ordinated at the local level by local authorities.

• The lack of a social remit for Scottish Enterprise was perceived as placing lowland Scotland at a disadvantage relative to the Highlands and Islands Enterprise area.

• In provision of such services as health, education, retail networks and local government services, there was a split view on whether people should be taken to services or vice versa. Services should be both locally accessible and of high quality.

• Innovative methods of delivery should be developed and piloted for wider dissemination. Rural demonstration areas offered an approach towards developing and disseminating good practice more generally.

• The development and retention of adequate transportation links of all kinds is regarded as fundamental to the economic and social well-being on rural areas. There was apprehension about the future of rural rail links and the impact of fuel and aviation taxes.

• Better and faster roads may simply accelerate concentration of service provision at the expense of remote and immobile consumers, as well as by-passing established businesses.

• New technology and one-stop shops offer opportunities to reduce the need to travel and schools, post offices, banks and other local facilities could be used as information points.

• Appropriate education and training was vital to encourage economic diversity, and to increase the opportunities available to people in rural areas.

• The land-tenure pattern in the Highlands and Islands was said to have a constraining effect on economic diversity. The landlord-tenant relationship of crofting can inhibit initiatives by crofters.

• Suitable financial incentives and assistance are not available to encourage small-firm development. The Common Agricultural Policy set-aside scheme has reduced the need for support service to agriculture and has resulted in a narrowing of the rural industrial base in such areas as fencing, fertilisers, stock-management.

• In many rural areas, there is limited local added value in agriculture, forestry and fishing production. Significant closures of local sawmills and abattoirs were noted.

• Local enterprise companies are important in securing the marketing, organisational and financial resources which will be required if rural businesses are to develop and diversify, and to take full advantage of the whole economic potential of local products.

• There is potential in tele-working. Technological advances can bring opportunities for relatively highly-skilled employment by enabling professional and skilled clerical functions to be carried out far from urban centres.

• Crofting offers a diverse economic, cultural and environmental base. The use of the land for agricultural production is just one part of the crofting way of life. Restrictions on the use of common land inhibits crofting communities from exploiting economic opportunities and management options.

• Support schemes for crofters are essential and the value of grants should be index-linked. Access to loan capital could provide an alternative to de-crofting of croft houses. A Croft Young Entrants Scheme is required.

• Within Scotland, regional discrimination of the level of CAP direct-income payments is merited on account of the varying conditions in different parts of the country. The Common Agricultural Policy should be reformed away from subsidies on production and towards the provision of integrated support for rural communities.