…the blog and website of Andy Wightman
It is twelve years since I last published comprehensive statistics on who owns Scotland. With a Land Reform Bill going through Parliament, I though it might be helpful to bring the data up to date. There are obvious connections between
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Today, I publish a report analysing large-scale land sales or rural land during 2020 – 2022. The analysis is my contribution to ongoing efforts to better understand the land market and is derived from date collected as part of the
Continue readingMonday 20 January 2014 SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT Enterprise and Environment Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government what the definition of “fairer” is in the Minister for Environment and Climate Change’s comment to BBC Scotland that
Continue readingImage: Black Law Commonty The task at hand appears overwhelming. To restore the common ownership of the land & natural resources has been a goal of reformers down the ages but it has often met with limited success. Faced with
Continue readingIn the first session of the Scottish Parliament between 1999 and 2003, a total of 12 Acts were passed in relation to land reform – 20% of the 61 Acts passed in the first four years of devolution. There was
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It is probably quite appropriate that today, within 24 hours of publishing her Interim Report, the Chair of the Land Reform Review Group, Alison Elliot, is giving the keynote address to Scottish Land and Estates AGM at Perth racecourse. (1)
Continue readingThe Land Reform Review Group (LRRG) is due to publish its first report in the next few weeks. The Group, set up as an independent policy review group by the Scottish Government in October 2012 has been given the task
Continue readingFollowing last week’s trip north by Paul Wheelhouse, this week it is the turn of Humza Yousaf, the Minister for External Affairs and International Development in the Scottish Government. He will be attending a seminar in Helmsdale as part of
Continue readinghttp://vimeo.com/60658495 We are Scotland’s 2500 landowners. We own the land (well 75% of Scotland). Our response to the Land Reform Review Group is that we don’t want land reform and we don’t need it. This is our land and we
Continue readingAbove – Richard Lochhead at NFUS AGM. Image: Paul Watt Photography The future shape of the Common Agricultural Policy for 2014-2020 has become clearer following the EU budget summit on 7 – 8 February and the European Parliament’s adoption of
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