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10th August 2022
The Community Empowerment Act is almost seven years old and the Scottish Government has decided it’s time to review its impact. While potentially opening a can of worms, it might also clarify the original purpose of this somewhat ragbag piece of legislation. Ragbag because there are so many incongruous sections in it – some with no connection whatsoever to communities, and others that have been pretty much ignored since the day they appeared on the statute book. One such section is about common good property. The particular weaknesses of this section suggest that while there may once have been some genuine intent to sort out this widely misunderstood and neglected class of community asset, these good intentions floundered on the rocks of the perennially risk averse Scottish Government lawyers – ‘too many uncertainties, Minister…much too complex… best leave well alone.’ I’ve long suspected that it’s the pervasive influence of these legal advisors that has dampened many a Minister’s reforming zeal. Which is a worry for the next round of land reform legislation. At its heart lies the encouraging prospect of a public interest test for significant land acquisitions. But how to determine what’s in ‘the public interest’? Cue some lawyerly apoplexy.
In the most recent briefing…
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On the ground
Read moreOver the next few years, thousands of family owned businesses (many of which are farms) are planning to retire but, according to the Office of National Statistics, two thirds of these have no succession plan in place. While there is some limited history of development trusts purchasing farms, these transactions have been largely down to a combination of good fortune and timing than anything else. An initiative to encourage more family owned farms to consider community ownership as a succession option is taking root in England. There must be similar potential here in Scotland.
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On the ground
Read moreIt was a common refrain during the pandemic and in its immediate aftermath, that there should be no return to business as usual, that we must try to capture all the service innovations and collaborations that had emerged spontaneously in the face of those uniquely challenging times. It would be an interesting research project for some enterprising PhD students to try to capture which of those remain and which ones disappeared like snow off a dyke as soon as normality returned. One that seems to have stuck around is an evolution of the Business Improvement District (BID) model.
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On the ground
Read moreOne of the notable successes to come out of COP26 was the wide range of community based climate actions organised both in Glasgow and elsewhere around the country. In the run up to COP, during September, a Climate Fringe Festival became the focus for hundreds of climate based events which were being organised across Scotland. Mirroring Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe, an amazingly eclectic mix of events, performances and climate actions were promoted through the Climate Fringe website. The Climate Fringe is happening again this September. Look out for the big launch this Friday.
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Policy talk
Read moreThe largest community land buyout in the South of Scotland has been doubled in size with the fundraising target set by Buccleuch Estates reached by the end of July deadline. That’s another £2.2 million added to £3.8m already banked from the earlier purchase. With the community now embarking on programmes to restore damaged peatlands and ancient woods, expand native woodlands and address biodiversity loss, I can’t be alone in wondering what has Buccleuch been doing all these years? And if his stewardship of the land has been so poor, why is he being so handsomely rewarded?
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Policy talk
Read moreThere is something very wrong about a wealthy nation in which thousands of people routinely go hungry. Soaring food prices are just adding to the pressures on a food system that many believe has been badly broken for years. Not only are there too many people without sufficient food to eat, but much of that food is of poor quality and seriously bad for our health and environment. Earlier this year The Good Food Nation Bill was passed by the Scottish Parliament. Scotland’s food campaigners believe this is an important first step in the right direction.
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Policy talk
Read moreThere’s always a danger with so many crises unfolding simultaneously, that we either become inured to them or adapt to a state of crisis as a way of life. Often coupled with the climate crisis but in fact largely separate and with different actions required, is one that gets less press than most – the biodiversity crisis. As ever, somewhat late in the day, the Scottish Government needs to engage community support for its strategy to develop Nature Networks and to protect 30% of our land and sea by 2030. A Discovery Workshop is being organised for later this month.
Featured anchor organisation:
Comrie Development Trust (CDT)
Comrie Development Trust, set up in 2006, is a charitable organisation owned and managed by local people living within the boundary of Comrie and District area – Strathearn. The aim of the Development Trust is to promote the sustainable development of the village for the benefit of local people, groups and businesses. In September 2007, the CDT purchased Cultybraggan – a Prisoner of War & Army Training Camp – encompassing 90 acres of land from the Ministry of Defence, for the benefit of the community. In addition to the buyout, the Trust has also advanced a range of projects include…
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