Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review: Stage 4 Final Report

3. Project overview

In Autumn 2024, the Scottish Government commissioned a research team, led by SRUC, to undertake a review of the roles and impacts of three core elements of rural support in Scotland over specified time periods^[7]:

• Scottish Rural Network (since 2021-22)
• Scottish Rural Action (an independent charity, since 2020-21)
• Community Led Local Development (since 2021-22)

The review aimed to generate a robust and practical evidence base in order to:

• Evaluate the delivery of Scottish Rural Network, Scottish Rural Action and Community Led Local Development against their intended aims, identifying their unique roles, overall impact, and any gaps or areas of duplication
• Engage with a range of stakeholders to examine the strategic fit of these elements within a wider policy and funding context, and in relation to other public and third sector policy and interventions
• Produce options and practical recommendations for their future focus, role, and delivery in the context of the forthcoming Rural Support Plan, and wider rural policy developments

The review adopted a multi-stage and mixed-method approach to evidence gathering^[8].

This report is the key output from the fourth and final stage of the project, which focused on analysis and synthesis of the data collected and developing recommendations. During analysis, additional interviews were conducted with individuals working strategically at national level, including in designing and delivering policies, funding mechanisms and other forms of support across Scotland. The aim of these interviews was to complement the evidence gathered in Stage Three, which was mostly from individuals delivering and engaging with the three elements. The interviews provide a fuller picture of wider policy priorities and developments within rural policy and across Scottish Government in order to maximise the relevance and impact of the recommendations put forward in this review.

Seven interviews were conducted in March 2026 with 15 individuals representing a range of policy areas, including Land Reform, Rural and Islands Policy, Public Health Scotland, Community Wealth Building (within the Public Finance/Economics Directorate), Public Service Reform (including Democracy Matters and Community Empowerment); Third Sector; and Place Based Regeneration (within the Regeneration, Architecture and Place Division Directorate). In line with the approach adopted in the Review Report (See Appendix A), all quotes presented in this report are anonymised.