How is the SNP supporting rural & island Scotland?

As the Scottish Government the SNP has made major investments in Scotland’s rural infrastructure.

For example, the Borders Railway has now been completed and we continue to advance work on the dualing of the A9 which will bring major economic benefits across the north of Scotland.

We renewed the Community Empowerment Act, and introduced new Land Reform Legislation which favours community buy-outs.

To reverse depopulation and support communities, we have given local authorities the powers to manage the numbers of second homes in their area and have worked with Community Land Scotland to find the right land to deliver more housing in rural areas.

The SNP are also committed to reviewing the National Resource Allocation Committee funding formula and work is already underway.

This will help support vital work to reduce health inequalities; ensuring that the Scottish Government can continue to allocate funding according to the relative need for healthcare in each Board area.

Our new National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care will also help to reduce health inequalities and improve the delivery of healthcare services in rural communities.

The centre, launched in October 2024, is now developing a programme of work designed to improve the capability of rural, remote and island primary care and community services, whilst supporting the improvement and retention of a more highly skilled rural health workforce.

The Centre will be delivered by NHS Education Scotland and is backed by £3 million we allocated. It will be both virtual and local to ensure its availability to all communities and will provide a resource to support Health Boards and Health and Social Care partnerships.

The SNP is also focused on delivering new opportunities for young farmers. More than 8,400 hectares of land has gone to new farmers since 2016 through the Farming Opportunities for New Entrants (FONE) group.

We’ve provided new funding for critical infrastructure projects that will help boost employment, empower communities and ensure a sustainable future for Scotland’s island communities.

In particular, ten projects have been awarded a share of the SNP government’s £3 million 2024/25 Islands Programme Fund.

This also included further funding to support the ongoing rebuild of The Fair Isle Bird Observatory, and the construction of two new airfield terminal buildings on Eday and Westray in the Orkney islands.

More than 71 locally-led projects on 51 islands have now been supported in the first three years of the Programme, which helps to implement the strategic objectives of the SNP initiated National Islands Plan.

Helping retain and attract people to remote and rural communities is a priority for the SNP in government with vital support helping more and more crofters across Scotland improve their housing.

Since January 2007, the Scottish Government has approved Croft House Grant payments of over £24.8 million helping to build and improve over 1,125 croft homes.

Our Rural Housing Fund also committed to build new, affordable homes in rural Scotland and the Islands Housing Fund provides ring-fenced funding for islands housing projects.

This funding has enabled the needs of older people to be met more appropriately, and young people and families to stay or make their lives in rural, remote and island communities.