National Islands Plan 2026: island communities impact assessment

2. Aims and Objectives

The National Islands Plan The new National Islands Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s long-term vision to ensure that Scotland’s islands are thriving, sustainable and resilient places where people can live, work, study and prosper. It recognises the distinct opportunities and challenges faced by island communities and provides a strategic framework to address them through coordinated national and local action.

At its core, the Plan establishes population retention and attraction as the overarching objective, reflecting widespread support from island communities, local authorities and public agencies. The Strategic Objectives and commitments within the Plan contribute, directly or indirectly, to this overarching aim by supporting the conditions that enable people to live, work and remain in island communities. It acknowledges that sustaining vibrant island communities depends on ensuring that people of all ages, particularly young people and those of working age, can access affordable housing, reliable transport, good jobs, education and quality public services.

The Plan is structured around seven Strategic Objectives, each supported by targeted commitments designed to improve outcomes for islanders. These objectives represent a streamlined framework for action, focusing effort where it can have the greatest impact. This represents a more targeted approach than the thirteen set out in the previous plan:

Connectivity: To provide reliable, affordable and joined-up transport and digital services, so islanders can access services, jobs and wider social and economic opportunities on equal terms.

Housing: To increase the availability of affordable, suitable homes on islands, supporting economic growth, year-round communities, essential services and long-term population sustainability.

Health and Social Care: To improve access to tailored health and care on islands by strengthening local services, embedding digital care where appropriate, and giving island communities more influence over decisions. Economy, Education and Skills: To grow sustainable island economies through targeted investment, support for local businesses, and education and training opportunities that enable islanders to learn and work locally.

Climate, Nature and Energy: To accelerate the transition to net zero on islands by supporting renewable and nature-based solutions, ensuring local ownership, and securing fair returns for island communities. Poverty and Social Justice: To reduce poverty and inequality on islands by addressing higher living costs, tackling fuel and transport challenges, and improving access to services and opportunities. Empowered Communities and Culture: To strengthen island communities by investing in local leadership, building community capacity, and supporting island cultures, languages and heritage.

Implementation of the Plan will be guided by Community Wealth Building (CWB) principles, ensuring that public investment, employment and procurement decisions deliver tangible benefits for islanders. This approach seeks to keep wealth and wellbeing rooted locally, building on the islands’ strong tradition of community ownership and social enterprise.

The National Islands Plan represents the Scottish Government’s renewed commitment to partnership with island communities, one that builds on their strengths, responds to their priorities, and ensures that Scotland’s islands remain dynamic, sustainable and welcoming places for current and future generations.