Empowering our island communities

National Islands Plan

We published the new National Islands Plan in February 2026.

We developed the Plan by engaging extensively with island communities, local authorities and a wide range of partners.

The key theme of the new plan is population retention and attraction. This provides a positive forward‑looking vision and highlights our continued commitment to supporting the long‑term resilience of Scotland’s island communities.

Each commitment in the Plan has been designed to be tangible, relevant, and rooted in island realities. The Plan strengthens and builds upon ongoing initiatives rather than duplicating existing policies. This helps to coordinate efforts more effectively across government and the wider public sector. The Plan also includes a route map with information about implementation timescales and associated delivery partners for each commitment.

The new National Islands Plan replaced the first (ever) iteration published in 2019.

The first Plan was fully reviewed following a public consultation in 2023 to 2024, which offered everyone with an interest in Scotland's islands the opportunity to contribute views. An independent analysis of the consultation results was published in April 2024.

Islands (Scotland) Act 2018

The Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 recognises that our islands face distinct circumstances and requires public authorities to consider the needs of island communities when exercising their functions. The Act includes the requirement to develop a National Islands Plan “to set out the main objectives and strategy of the Scottish Ministers in relation to improving outcomes for island communities” and a legal duty to ‘island proof’ policies, strategies and services through island communities impact assessments.

The act also requires Scottish Ministers to submit annual reports to the Scottish Parliament detailing updates on the progress made towards the National Islands Plan objectives. We have published the following reports:

Island communities impact assessments

Scotland’s islands face challenges around distance, geography, connectivity and demography, so it is important that policy makers consider these properly. From 23 December 2020, the Scottish Government and 70 other relevant authorities have a duty to consider whether an island community impact assessment (ICIA) is required when developing or reviewing policies, strategies or services. An ICIA is required where the policy, strategy or service is likely to have a significant different effect on island communities versus other communities (including other island communities). Full guidance and a list of relevant authorities are available below:

Privacy notice

The Island Communities Impact Assessments (Publication and Review of Decisions) (Scotland) Regulations 202 privacy notice only covers information being received where the relevant authority is the Scottish Government. It is for other Relevant Authorities to ensure that they have their own privacy notice arrangements in place for the process.

Islands Strategic Group

In 2016, in partnership with island local authorities, we set up the Islands Strategic Group. The remit of the Group is to consider strategic issues affecting the inhabited island communities of Scotland and to ensure greater involvement of the relevant councils in helping to identify and design solutions to the unique needs and challenges these communities face.

The Islands Programme

The Islands Programme is a key component in the delivery of the National Islands Plan. This capital fund invests in the improvement, creation or safeguarding of locally developed infrastructure projects which align with the strategic objectives of the Plan and support local growth resilience. The Fund is open to applications from all six of Scotland’s local authorities with offshore inhabited islands. These are Argyll and Bute, Comhairle nan Eileanan Siar, Highland, North Ayrshire, Orkney and Shetland.

Since 2021-2022, the Islands Programme has awarded £19.7 million in support of 88 projects on 55 different islands.

For information on the successful projects over the years, please select from 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26.

An independent evaluation of the Islands Programme was carried out in 2025.

Carbon Neutral Islands

The Carbon Neutral Islands (CNI) project has, since 2022, supported six islands in their aim of becoming carbon neutral by 2040. These islands are Yell, Hoy, Raasay, Barra, Islay and Cumbrae. Read more on the carbon neutral islands project page.

Islands Cost Crisis Emergency Fund

We developed the Islands Cost Crisis Emergency Fund to specifically recognise the additional cost of living pressures facing island communities and help island local authorities support those islanders who are most affected.

The island local authorities decide where funding will be directed based on their local knowledge and understanding of the impacts of the cost crisis on their islands. Since December 2022, the fund has distributed £5.4 million to support a range of projects including winter payments to low-income families, Christmas meals, food bank grants, and free school breakfasts.

Young Islanders Network

The Young Islanders Network was set up in 2022 to provide children and young people living on Scotland’s islands to have their voices heard both locally and nationally. The young people are empowered to set their own agenda. This is based on how they want to address the local and national priorities that matter to them the most.

Feedback from the Young Islanders Network helped to shape the new National Islands Plan. We will work closely with the Network as delivery partners to support the implementation of the new Plan.

Contact

Emaiil: info@islandsteam.scot.

Information