Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review: Scottish Rural Network, Scottish Rural Action and Community Led Local Development review report

Footnotes

1 Scotland’s total population was estimated at 5.48 million in 2021.

2 Rural Scotland Data Dashboard: Overview - gov.scot, accessed 10^th February 2026. The Scottish Government classifies rural Scotland as areas with a population of less than 3,000 people.

3 Islands are defined in the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 as “a naturally formed area of land which is— “(a) surrounded on all sides by the sea (ignoring artificial structures such as bridges), and (b) above water at high tide.” Using the Inhabited Islands Report (Scottish Government 2015) as a starting point, but excluding islands in fresh water and recognising Walls as an island in its own right, means that the Act covers 89 inhabited islands according to 2011 census data.

4 The Rural Scotland Data Dashboard and Islands Data Dashboard (accessed 10^th February 2026) provide a range of evidence about Scotland’s rural and island communities. SRUC’s Rural and Islands Insights Reports (2023 and 2025, accessed 10^th February 2026) also provide detailed data and analysis on a range of relevant issues.

5 SRUC has recently published a report on demographic change and out-migration in rural and island Scotland which explores these issues in more detail: https://sruc.figshare.com/articles/report/Demographic_change_and_out-migration_in_rural_and_island_Scotland/30617195, accessed 10^th February 2026.

6 For a discussion of the evolution of rural and island policy in Scotland since 1945 see: Item - The Evolution of Rural and Island Policy in Scotland - figshare - Figshare, accessed 10^th February 2026.

7 The resilience of rural communities has been a theme of research undertaken by researchers from SRUC and the James Hutton Institute. See for example: Translating community resilience theory into practice: A deliberative Delphi approach - SRUC, Scotland's Rural College; Unpacking community resilience through Capacity for Change on JSTOR, accessed 10^th February 2026.

8 Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board - gov.scot, accessed 10^th February 2026.

9 Home - Farm Advisory Service | Helping farmers in Scotland, accessed 10^th February 2026.

10 Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024, accessed 10^th February 2026.

11 The Scottish Islands Federation – Promoting the interests and sustainability of Scotland’s island communities, accessed 10^th February 2026.

12 Carbon Neutral Islands - Scottish Islands net zero, accessed 10^th February 2026.

13 Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, accessed 10^th February 2026.

14 2019 National Islands Plan and National Islands Plan 2026, accessed 23^rd February 2026.

15 Island communities impact assessments: guidance and toolkit - gov.scot, accessed 10^th February 2026.

16 Scottish Islands Data Dashboard by RESAS - Infogram, accessed 1^st March 2026.

17 Scottish Land Fund | The National Lottery Community Fund, accessed 10^th February 2026.

18 Capital investment for regeneration - Regeneration - gov.scot, accessed 10^th February 2026.

19 DTAS – A Thriving Community-led Network, accessed 10^th February 2026.

20 Community Land Scotland – Community Land Scotland represents Scotland’s new generation of community land owners, accessed 10^th February 2026.

21 Home - Scottish Community Alliance, accessed 10^th February 2026.

22 Supporting businesses & communities | HIE, accessed 10^th February 2026.

23 South of Scotland Enterprise, accessed 10^th February 2026.

24 2023-24 Programme for Government, accessed 10^th February 2026.

25 Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024, accessed 10^th February 2026.

26 National Islands Plan Draft 2026, accessed 23^rd February 2026.

27 Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, accessed 10^th February 2026.

28 A detailed review of relevant policy developments in Scotland and the wider UK has been published as part of this review: 1. Introduction - Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review: stage 2 - review of policy and delivery context - gov.scot, accessed 10^th February 2026.

29 Rural Scotland Data Dashboard - Infogram, accessed 10^th February 2026.

30 For more information about LEADER, see: Welcome to the EU CAP Network! | EU CAP Network, accessed 10^th February 2026.

31 Find out more about the Scottish Rural & Islands Parliament!, accessed 10^th February 2026.

32 Find out more about the European Rural Parliament!, accessed 10^th February 2026.

33 Action with Communities in Rural England - ACRE, accessed 10^th February 2026.

34 These similarities (and differences) are explored in more detail in the England case study for this project which is available online here: England Case Study, accessed 10^th February 2026.

35 Home - Rural Community Network, accessed 10^th February 2026.

36 For more information, see: Rules and financial support for CAP Strategic Plans | EUR-Lex, accessed 10^th February 2026.

37For more discussion on this, see: 17.07.2025_Next-MFF-LEADER-recognised-but-not-guaranteed.pdf, accessed 10^th February 2026.

38 The time periods for reviewing the three elements differ slightly in recognition of Scottish Rural Network and Community Led Local Development being originally established and co-financed by the European Commission (as part of Pillar 2 of the Common Agricultural Policy), with this review focusing on their delivery post-EU exit. In contrast, Scottish Rural Action was established at national level, outside the EU programme and so the review period extends back to the pre-EU exit period.

39 See Appendix A for links to each of the case studies.

40 The Network Support Unit is located within the Land Reform, Rural and Islands Policy Directorate in the Scottish Government and this has been the case since 2014. Prior to this, it was located outside Scottish Government, including with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisation’s Rural Team for several years. Before this, Rural Forum Scotland carried out similar functions. Rural Forum Scotland ran from 1981-1999 operating with a Council of 24 members, 12 elected from rural communities and 12 appointed by ‘core member’ or ‘sponsor’ organisations. Rural Forum Scotland was originally funded by membership fees but over time generated more of its income from contracts and increased its staffing numbers. Its reputation grew amongst policy-makers and politicians as a key stakeholder in developing rural policy in Scotland, with communication and networking being central to its role. However, this model did not have strong ties with grassroots organisations and in the end the organisation’s financial model, relying on ‘payment on completion’ contracts, was not sustainable and the organisation closed. For more information see: 0. vSRP2021 Session Report - Scotland's rural movement.pdf, accessed 10^th February 2026.

41 Scottish Rural Network: evaluation - gov.scot, accessed 10^th February 2026.

42 More information about these activities is provided in the evaluation of Scottish Rural Network published in 2020: Scottish Rural Network: evaluation - gov.scot, accessed 10^th February 2026.

43 The Rural Network in Wales (now called Rural Affairs Wales) campaigned strongly for its continuation after EU exit but has now taken on a stronger role in relation to agriculture and particularly supporting the implementation of the Sustainable Farming Scheme in Wales rather than rural communities (there is no direct LEADER successor programme in Wales). For more information, see: Homepage | Wales Rural Network, accessed 10^th February 2026.

44 Scottish Rural Network website: Homepage - Scottish Rural Network

45 Scottish Rural Network social media: Scottish National Rural Network | Facebook; X; Scottish Rural Network (@scottishruralnetwork) • Instagram photos and videos.

46 Including: Scottish Rural Action; Inspiring Scotland; Plunkett Foundation; Bioregioning Tayside; NatureScot; Community Land Scotland; National Rural Mental Health Forum/Change Mental Health; Soil Association Scotland; and GrowBiz.

47 For information about the Rural Pact, see European Union Rural Pact Community Platform, accessed 2^nd March 2026.

48 Scottish Rural Action | Scottish Rural Action, accessed 10^th February 2026.

49 2019-20 Programme for Government (p. 84), accessed 10^th February 2026.

50 Aims summarised from Scottish Rural Action | Scottish Rural Action, accessed 10^th February 2026, and the organisation’s Full Accounts for the Year End 21 March 2025, accessed 10^th February 2026.

51 Currie, M. and Fischer, D. (2019) Evaluation of Scottish Rural Action. James Hutton Institute. https://www.hutton.ac.uk/sites/default/files/files/publications/SRA-Evaluation-FINAL.pdf, accessed 10^th February 2026.

52 Glass, J., Atterton, J., and Shucksmith, M. D. (2022). Learning from European Rural movements: Research to inform a Scottish approach. Available at: European_rural_movements_report_2022.pdf, accessed 10^th February 2026.

53 Rural and Islands Strategic Stakeholder Workshop 8 November 2022, report available on Scottish Rural Action website: 2023 01 16 Strategic Stakeholder Workshop - Event Report.pdf, accessed 10^th February 2026.

54 Strategic Stakeholder Event and Report | Scottish Rural Action, accessed 2^nd March 2026.

55 Specific organisations mentioned included Scottish Community Tourism, Scottish Rural and Islands Transport Community, regional youth network ‘Rural Youth Action Network’.

56 A Rural Lens Approach (the Last Dance Framework) | Scottish Rural Action, accessed 10^th February 2026.

57 EU’s LEADER programme, accessed 10^th February 2026.

58 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), accessed 10^th February 2026.

59 Further information on the evolution of LEADER is provided in SRUC’s review of LEADER to inform the post-EU Exit approach in Scotland: The role of the LEADER approach post-Brexit - SRUC, Scotland's Rural College, accessed 10^th February 2026.

60 For more information see: Community Led Local Development - Scottish Rural Network, accessed

61 Community Led Local Development - Scottish Rural Network, accessed 10^th February 2026.

62 Noting that a separate Accountable Body is not required; the Local Action Group can become a separate legal entity and deliver the funding itself. This model has been implemented by Angus Rural Partnership for example Angus Rural Partnership supporting vibrant, sustainable communities, accessed 10^th February 2026.

63 More information on how Community Led Local Development has evolved is available online here: Community Led Local Development - Scottish Rural Network. The Scottish Rural Network website also contains case study information on a large number of projects across rural Scotland that have received Community Led Local Development funding: Case studies Archive - Scottish Rural Network. Links accessed 10^th February 2026.

64 See Case studies Archive - Scottish Rural Network, accessed 10^th February 2026.

65 For more information see: Social Value Platform | SROI Software | Social Value Engine, accessed 10^th February 2026.

66 Rose Regeneration (2026) “Social Value Analysis: Community Led Local Development Programme Scotland“. Available at: Rose-Regeneration-Social-Value-Engine-Report-2-Feb-2026-compressed.pdf, accessed 12^th February 2026.

67 ‘Animation’ refers to the proactive work that Local Action Groups and Coordinators do to stimulate, encourage, and enable local communities and organisations to take part in the Community Led Local Development programme. For example, running workshops, outreach sessions or events to inspire local project development.

68 For more information on these programmes, see SRUC’s evaluation of them: RCTC-Evaluation-Report-SRUC-Final-Report-30.03.22.pdf, accessed 10^th February 2026.

69 To note, Scottish Government guidance does not stipulate that counsellor approval is required. The funding guidance states that Local Action Groups are the final decision makers for awarding Community Led Local Delivery funding.

70 Producing indicative allocations for Community Led Local Development funding in Scotland (2022-23), accessed 10^th February 2026. The original SEP Index work pre-dates this and was undertaken in the 2014-20 EU CAP programming period.

71 In the 2014-2020 EU programming period under LEADER (prior to the use of the current allocation formula), 50% of the funding was allocated evenly across Local Action Groups to cover staff costs, for example. The other 50% was allocated based on multiple indicators, including area, population and socio-economic characteristics. This provided a coherent and, for some people, a fairer framework.

72 The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation SIMD (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation), accessed 10^th February 2026.

73 Local Action Group areas are regions which do not always align to local authority areas.

74 SAFER system (Sociétés d’Aménagement Foncier et d’Établissement Rural) in France is a public‑interest land agency managed by local people that regulates the rural land market by monitoring transactions and using its pre‑emptive rights to purchase farmland before other buyers when this serves agricultural, environmental, or local‑development goals.A recent English language summary of SAFER is available at: https://land-reform-futures.hutton.ac.uk/sites/land-reform-futures.hutton.ac.uk/files/inline-files/Adrien%20Baysse-Laine.pdf, accessed 2^nd March 2026.