and promotes the interests of crofting in Scotland
to secure the future of crofting.
Crofting Commissioner welcomes First Ministers proposed Land Reform
04/12/2014
On the 26 November 2014, the First Minister, as part of the Programme for Government, announced plans to introduce a radical Land Reform Bill – consulting on proposals designed to achieve the aims of key recommendations from the Land Reform Review Group including:
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Establishing a Land Reform Commission
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Bringing forward new powers for Scottish Ministers to intervene - where the scale of land ownership is a barrier to sustainable development
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Among many other measures, the Bill will include the removal of the business rate exemptions for shooting and deerstalking estates
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Ending this will enable the Government to more than treble the Scottish Land Fund – from £3 m this year to £10m a year from 2016
The announcement has been welcomed by Crofting Commissioner David Campbell, who represents the interests of landlords of crofts on the Board of the Crofting Commission. David commented that “these important proposals should not hold fear for those landlords who actively and positively manage and engage with their crofting tenants and people on the ground. It is hoped that these proposals would encourage greater collective participation between crofting landlords and tenants, particularly in developing benefit from underused common grazing areas across the crofting counties.
“The increased Scottish Land Fund will allow for those communities currently actively progressing buy outs to aid their ambitions to the benefit of crofting. The Crofting Commission look forward to the forthcoming consultations and the opportunities they may create in helping to secure the future of crofting.”
A consultation on the ‘Future of Land Reform in Scotland’ was launched by the government earlier this week and seeks views and input on their draft Land Rights and Responsibilities Policy and proposals for a Land Reform Bill.
