Land Reform (Isle of Gigha)
The next item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-04081, in the name of David Stewart, on the Isle of Gigha—10 years of pioneering land reform. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament congratulates the community of the Isle of Gigha on the tenth anniversary of what is considered its pioneering community buy-out; acknowledges the efforts of the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust to redevelop the community by introducing development projects in the area; understands that, over the 10 years, the population in the community has risen from 96 to 160; welcomes the inspirational example that it considers those on Gigha have set for other communities; believes that there is much work still to be done throughout Scotland regarding land reform; notes the recommendations of the Land Reform Review Group, and believes that valuable lessons can be learned from Gigha.
12:37
As a highlander, I have had an interest in the land reform debate since I was old enough to hold up my first copy of the West Highland Free Press. History provides a rich tapestry of experiences: the Highland clearances, the battle of the braes and the Highland Land League. Perhaps lesser known are the seven men of Knoydart, who defied Nazi sympathiser and landlord Lord Brocket to settle the land.
Gigha is an exemplar in the debate—a standard in the toolbox of how it is done. I visited the island in August. As one makes the crossing from Tayinloan to Gigha, the beauty of the natural landscape comes into view, and in the distance it is possible to make out the faint outline of the dancing ladies of Gigha, which point to the transformation of this beautiful place.
The beauty of the landscape is superseded only by the warmth of the people on the island. Once there, one finds a thriving community, a youthful and dynamic population, a number of new business start-ups, a fine housing refurbishment project and a community energy resource, exporting power to the national grid. In short, one finds a community that is going places.
Yet that was not always the case. A dwindling population, poor housing stock and a lack of opportunities led to fears for the future sustainability of the island. Indeed, as recently as 2000, the population was less than 100. Gigha, as with so many other places in Scotland, had been passed from landowner to landowner, with no reference to the community, choking the entrepreneurial spirit of the residents and stifling development.
The catalyst for this remarkable change is what we are celebrating today. Ten years ago, on 15 March 2002, through the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust the people took possession of the island that they call home. For the first time, those with a stake in the island took ownership of the community, and that changed the outlook of the island in remarkable ways. To give some simple facts, the population has grown by 50 per cent, two thirds of the housing stock has been refurbished and the island has moved towards sustainability by purchasing and constructing its own wind farm.
Of course, challenges still remain. Not least of those are funding problems, which lead to concerns about the completion of the housing refurbishment. I hope that the minister will be able to provide me with some reassurances in that regard today. However, those challenges should not detract from the incredible success of Gigha, which provides an example to other communities of what can be achieved with community ownership of land. Today, I offer my heartfelt congratulations to the people of Gigha in celebrating this milestone in their history.
Gigha is just one of the success stories of community ownership of land. In the communities of Knoydart, Eigg, South Uist, Galston or Harris, there is a new dynamism, new enterprises and a new confidence about the future. That is what comes when private land ownership gives way to community ownership, when a community democratically has control of its land and associated assets and can utilise the land in the cause of securing a more sustainable future. The sort of activity now seen in Gigha has been replicated in those other communities.
I very much appreciate what the member is saying, but does he think that only rural communities can learn from Gigha, or is there the possibility that some urban communities that have a problem with land ownership could also learn from it?
The member makes a very good point. I think that this should extend across Scotland, where there is local community demand.
Some 500,000 acres of Scotland is now owned and managed by local communities but, significant though that is, it represents only a tiny fraction of Scotland’s land. There is so much more scope to push further forward with the agenda of community ownership. Doing that will help to bring the benefits that we are seeing in Gigha and elsewhere to many more communities.
Only two weeks ago, we marked the 20th anniversary of the death of John McEwen, who wrote “Who Owns Scotland?” His book demonstrated just how few people owned the vast bulk of our land. Since it was published in the 1970s, some things have changed for the better but not enough has. The land ownership pattern remains essentially the same, and that simply cannot be right. As we look forward, we cannot imagine a future Scotland where that continues.
I have a confession to make: I am a great admirer of David Cameron—not the Prime Minister but the real one, who is the chairman of Community Land Scotland and who is in the public gallery today. In a recent speech, he called land reform “unfinished business”, that is fundamental to greater social justice in Scotland. He said:
“Is it possible for Scots to conceive of a future Scotland that does not, explicitly, have greater social justice at its heart? I think not ... This is not about fighting battles of the past ... land reform remains a cause of the present and the future.”
Today, land changes under the feet of the people for some odd reasons. In the same speech, David Cameron highlighted a recent advert for the Gledfield estate in Sutherland, which appeared in the property section of The Press and Journal. I quote:
“The estate will appeal to the international super rich ... The asking price for this exceptional property is offers over £8 million, but for that you get a traditional Highland estate with more than 6,000 acres of sporting ground, 2,000 acres of commercial forestry and a spectacular sporting lodge.”
Like David Cameron, I cannot see many local people having the more than £8 million that is needed to put in an offer. That is one reason why we need to push on with land reform and build on the work, which I am proud the first Labour Scottish Executive promoted, of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
That is why I welcome the Scottish Government’s announcement of the land reform review group. I welcome the members of the group—particularly my friend Professor Jim Hunter—and its terms of reference, which are to secure a greater diversity in land ownership in Scotland. However, this is a matter not just of law but of money. In that regard, I welcome the re-establishment of Labour’s Scottish land fund, which will assist communities with buying land. That is a step in the right direction but, at £6 million over three years, the fund will not buy many—or any—Sutherland estates of the type that I mentioned.
I am glad that the member has welcomed the Scottish National Party Government’s reinstatement of the land fund this year. Does he regret the fact that the fund was scrapped in 2006 by the previous Labour and Lib Dem Executive?
Mr Thompson has to look at the achievements. Labour introduced the milestone act that set up land reform and we need to continue that work. I hope that there is consensus on that but, judging from his intervention, I think that it is probably unlikely that we will have that from Dave Thompson.
The land reform review group is not due to report until the end of 2013. I hope that the minister will today give me the absolute assurance that the long timescale is not an attempt to take the issue off the public agenda for the next year or more. The community of Gigha testifies to the value of land reform. Further land reform is a cause for good. We need to encourage the land reform review group in its work—in that, it will have the support of Parliament to be radical. A new chapter in land reform is ready to be opened. What we need to succeed is, to quote Sir Walter Scott,
“The will to do, the soul to dare”.
12:45
It is entirely appropriate and fitting that the Parliament should note the 10th anniversary of the Gigha buyout and congratulate and commend the community of Gigha for its successes since then. I therefore thank David Stewart for bringing the debate to the chamber. In passing, I should also pay tribute to the elderly statesmen of Gigha, Willie McSporran and John Martin. It is only right that their part in this should be acknowledged.
It is fitting that the debate comes at a time when the community empowerment consultation has recently closed, and soon after the land reform review group has been set up, for there are many lessons to be learned from Gigha and from the islanders’ experience over the past 10 years. It is good to look with some satisfaction at how far communities such as Gigha have travelled along the road towards addressing their many challenges and how the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Scottish land fund helped to start them on their journeys, but it should also be recognised that the path of Gigha and other such communities is not always easy. Managing the challenges of running an organisation such as the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust would tax the abilities of many a chief executive of a multinational corporation. The political challenges of doing that within the intensely local democratic framework of a community such as Gigha might well challenge the abilities of many professional politicians. Of course, I am not thinking so much of members of this Parliament as I am of our colleagues down in Westminster, who seem to understand little about Scotland and nothing at all about our islands.
There is a need, therefore, to recognise and pay respect to the knowledge, know-how and experience that have been acquired on Gigha—all the more so because that experience has been hard won mainly by volunteers who wrestle with issues that have a profound effect on their futures, those of their families and those of their friends and neighbours. We should recognise, too, that that voluntary work takes place in communities that are acknowledged to be economically fragile, where people have to struggle daily to make a living, as well as attending to the collective needs of their community.
Does Mike MacKenzie agree that one of the problems with buyouts is not so much capital funding—which can be found—but revenue funding, which is needed later on?
Yes, of course. That is why I am delighted that communities such as Gigha have been able to take advantage of the many opportunities in renewable energy, for example with the dancing ladies of Gigha. I am also delighted that the Scottish Government has established the community and renewable energy scheme, through Community Energy Scotland, which will enable many more communities to take advantage of the revenue funding that is afforded by renewable energy.
Gigha faces continuing and imminent challenges, some of which David Stewart mentioned. There is some way to go before all of its housing is brought up to a decent standard—it is still somewhat below the average standard in Scotland. Gigha also needs its sustainability to be ensured with the realisation of the planned new wind turbine. Further investment in Gigha will be required before the overall investment begins to pay off, as it assuredly will over the generations to come.
With £6 million having recently been put into the re-established Scottish land fund, I hope to see many more communities achieve ownership and control of their own assets and benefit from that local control. Gigha is a microcosm of Scotland. The islanders there suffer from many of the same problems that are writ large across Scotland. Ownership and the ability to harness and control their own resources are significant factors that have allowed the community to take huge steps towards addressing those problems. What is good for Gigha should be good for the rest of Scotland, too.
12:50
Before I speak about Gigha, I ask the chamber to join me in paying respects to Andrew Riddell, who died this week. Andrew, a tenant farmer of Peaston farm in East Lothian, made a strong contribution to the Scottish Tenant Farmers Association. He leaves a young family, to whom I am sure we all send our condolences.
Impressions formed on a brief visit to Gigha more than 20 years ago of a beautiful but quite desolate island are in sharp and happy contrast to those created when I arrived on the island with my colleagues on the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee only this May. Both times the weather was fine and the sand below was white when we saw the bottom through the aquamarine water as we docked. However, this time, the visit quickly spoke of a vibrant and forward-looking community running its own future.
The words on the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust website are true. It states that the island is going
“from strength to strength with a growing population that is sustainably developing its local economy.”
Committee members stayed in a welcoming community-owned hotel and had a dram or two. We visited the community-owned gardens at Achamore and saw the dancing ladies, to which other members have referred. We tasted delicious local food and visited the primary school, which has an increasing school roll. We met young families who have come to make their future on Gigha and we also heard of on-going smallholding creation. Other members have spoken of the challenges of the new housing, much of which is affordable and sustainable. The master plan and design guidance process involves the whole community. People who would otherwise not have been able to do so have been able to come from the mainland and stay on Gigha.
It sounds like nirvana but, as Mike MacKenzie highlighted, there are always challenges, whoever owns the land. However, the point of those challenges is that the land is owned by the community. As a result of all the hard work and the hard decisions that have been made, the vision of inspiring others and taking the community with them has become a reality.
It was pointed out by the people on the Gigha trust and by people in the community that when there is an opportunity for a buyout, it can often be the case that islanders—or, indeed, people on the mainland—can be somewhat sceptical. Islanders on Gigha were inspired by a visit to Eigg, where people had already become community owners of their island. They were also strongly supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise. David Stewart highlighted that funding—both funding at the start and on-going funding—can be a challenge.
Last week, when the committee questioned Professor James Hunter and Dr Alison Elliott, who are members of the land reform review group, I was eager to hear how the group planned to engage with other communities across Scotland. Professor Hunter highlighted that in Scotland we have
“one of the most concentrated patterns of land ownership in Europe.”—[Official Report, Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee, 26 September 2012; c 1117.]
I was interested to hear the word “release” used. The opportunities for community empowerment are chances all communities should have, whether they are rural, urban, ex-mining or coastal, and no matter where they are—whether they are in the north, in my own region in the south or wherever. I specifically asked the witnesses how young people could be engaged in the process. The answer was through Young Scot. Scots from all backgrounds and all parts of Scotland must be involved in the process.
On Gigha’s website, the children of Gigha have wonderful paintings, which are all sunny and bright. Although I know that the weather is not always bright and sunny on Gigha, the paintings reflect the incredible optimism of the community. I congratulate them on their decade of community ownership.
12:54
I congratulate David Stewart on securing the debate.
I am also very happy to pay tribute to all of my constituents on Gigha and members and supporters of the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust for the efforts that they have made and are continuing to make to create a sustainable and successful island community. I agree with David Stewart that the success of Gigha is an inspiration to other rural and island communities.
The population on Gigha is rising and the excellent primary school has 13 children, which is a testament to the health of the island and is something that we can all celebrate. Gigha is a beautiful island in a wonderful setting and I encourage my MSP colleagues and others who are listening to visit it to experience Gigha for themselves. They can be sure of a very warm welcome and excellent hospitality, whether at the Gigha hotel or at the various bed and breakfasts or self-catering cottages. The island’s Achamore gardens, golf course and clean sandy beaches are just some of the attractions that are available to the tourists.
Achamore gardens are a testament to the memory of Sir James Horlick. He was a good laird and a founder of the famous malty drink, which had the slogan “The Great Family Nourisher”. Sir James Horlick was a great nourisher and a great philanthropist with a reputation as a good landlord who used his fortune to promote schemes on the island to help employment there.
I welcome to the public gallery the celebrated Mr Peter Joynson, who for some 20 years was factor for Sir James Horlick on the Isle of Gigha. He has many happy memories of the island, of the people and of his former employer, who I am sure would be happy to see the Gigha community thriving once again and the population increasing.
Renewable energy remains a big and often controversial issue across my region, so the example of Gigha is worth highlighting as one of success. On Gigha, the three Vestas V27 wind turbines—known locally as the dancing ladies—enjoy widespread community support, with the Gigha residents controlling the whole project and the profit being reinvested in the community. It has been so successful that local residents are seeking to erect a fourth turbine to join the current three. No one on Gigha thinks that renewables developments are incompatible with tourism—rather, they complement each other.
Although I agree that valuable lessons can be learned from Gigha, not least in terms of community empowerment, which we all support, and the development of a practical island master plan that has helped to foster economic development, we are cautious about calls for further legislation on land reform and we remain unconvinced that yet more legislation in this field is required or desirable. We should recognise that Gigha has succeeded within existing land reform laws and we should seek ways of improving how those laws operate.
We should also recognise the vital importance of the ferry link between Gigha and Tayinloan, which has come under pressure of late. The islanders deserve a ferry service that encourages tourism and their lifeline activities.
The Gigha buyout was not a hostile buyout—rather, it was encouraged by seller and buyer alike—and I have to pay tribute to previous Argyll and Bute MSP George Lyon, who gave a great deal of his time to the project. It is very seldom—there are no Liberal Democrats in the chamber today—that I praise the work of Lib Dem MSPs, but in this case it would be churlish of me to not recognise the part that he played. While I am talking about politicians, or famous people, I note that David Stewart mentioned Professor Jim Hunter, who got to his feet recently at a meeting in Stornoway after one of the SNP people had spoken and said that he was tempted to vote Conservative, so there we are.
I would be grateful if you would come to a conclusion.
I will conclude by wishing my constituents on Gigha continued success in the future. They are to be congratulated for proving that determined and dynamic community effort can make even the smallest and remotest island communities sustainable and economically successful.
12:58
I realise that it may seem strange for a member who represents a constituency on the east coast of Scotland to seek to make a contribution to the debate. However, having visited Gigha at the end of May on the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee’s fact-finding trip, which Claudia Beamish referred to, I want to add my congratulations to the islanders on the 10th anniversary of the community buyout. I also congratulate David Stewart on being instrumental in affording all of us this opportunity.
I have two abiding memories from the visit to Gigha—the first is light hearted and the second is more significant, given some of the myths that surround renewable energy.
As Claudia Beamish may recall, one of the guides on our tour of the island was, among many other things, the session clerk at the kirk. As we passed the kirk, I inquired politely about the level of regular turnout for services. I was somewhat impressed to be told, if I recall correctly, that around a third of the population attended. I discovered shortly afterwards, when we pulled over to chat with a resident, how such an impressive attendance is achieved. The session clerk, in a well-practised tone, inquired of the lady, “And why weren’t you at the church on Sunday?” I was left with the impression that she would not commit that particular misdemeanour again.
My other lasting memory involved our trip to the dancing ladies. At the time of our visit, faith, hope and charity had been operational for a little over seven years. We learned from the digital information hub at the site that, during that period, the turbines had been responsible for saving 7,936 tonnes of CO2 and that in the preceding month alone they had generated 111MW of power—enough to power 371 homes—and created an income for the island of £12,680. Just as interestingly, as committee members questioned the locals about the pluses and minuses of their renewable power source, there were no tales to be told of terrible health problems afflicting residents, people leaving the island as they could not stand having the landscape blighted by the turbines, or indeed bird deaths caused by the blades. In fact, we learned that the only incidents of bird fatalities on the island stemmed from collisions with pylon cables—not with the turbines.
As the technology has advanced, the heritage trust, in seeking to replace faith, hope and charity, which were purchased on the second-hand market, is looking to purchase just one turbine, albeit a larger one, thereby reducing the visual impact, although I have to say that I found the visual impact of the dancing ladies, both from a distance and up close, quite positive.
As Claudia Beamish said, while we were on the island we also visited the school, where numbers have gone up from six to 19; the halibut farm; some of the new-build housing; the golf course, which I enjoyed; and, memorably, the gardens at Achamore house. However, our visit was by no means positively spun. We also got to hear of the difficulties and challenges that required to be overcome and which are still being faced. For example, the agreed roll-out of the housing improvements had run into a slight problem at the time we were there. We also learned that the odd decision or two that had been taken along the way might, with the benefit of hindsight, have been different. I think that we all came away from the visit feeling that we had been given a true insight into the buyout and the progress that has been made since what was, at the time, a rather bold—some might say brave—venture.
As the motion states, Gigha is “inspirational” in the example that it sets for other communities. In closing, I associate myself with the concluding lines of David Stewart’s motion, which states that the Parliament
“believes that there is much work still to be done throughout Scotland regarding land reform”
and
“notes the recommendations of the Land Reform Review Group”.
Last week, the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee heard from the group’s chair, Dr Alison Elliot, and vice-chair, James Hunter. It was encouraging to learn—David Stewart will welcome this, although Jamie McGrigor might not—that they intend to heed the First Minister’s call for them to bring forward innovative and radical proposals.
As several members still wish to speak in the debate, I am minded to accept a motion under rule 8.14.3 to extend the debate for up to 30 minutes.
Motion moved,
That, under Rule 8.14.3, the debate be extended for up to 30 minutes.—[David Stewart.]
Motion agreed to.
13:02
I, too, congratulate David Stewart on securing the debate. It is hard to believe that it was 10 years ago that Gigha was bought out by the community. I had the privilege of being there alongside the community on that historic day. It was a great celebration, the memory of which will remain with me for the rest of my days. It was a time when the island’s population was falling, there were few jobs, housing was poor and the viability of the community was in the balance. The purchase brought hope to the community.
So much has happened in those 10 short years. The population started to increase almost immediately, housing improved, and now the community has its three dancing ladies, which other members have mentioned. The wind turbines generate profit of about £75,000 a year, which provides an income for the community. They attracted 100 per cent support from the community, which shows that such support is possible when a community pulls together.
Today’s debate is also timely given that we are so close to the 20th anniversary of the death of John McEwen. As David Stewart said, he was the first person to catalogue land ownership in Scotland. Indeed, his work still drives the debate forward today. We should also pay tribute to the Assynt crofters, who led the way on community buyouts. They also need to be recognised in the debate. Like other members, I am pleased to welcome David Cameron to the Parliament today. He and Community Land Scotland are pushing the agenda forward, which is very much required in the current situation.
I welcome the review group that the Scottish Government has set up to look at land reform. However, the Government has already missed opportunities to further land reform through legislation that we have passed. A serious concern is that the time that the review group has been given to report will halt progress on land reform for the foreseeable future, and certainly that there might be no progress in this parliamentary session. I urge the minister to produce an interim report and an interim action plan, so that we can keep the process moving forward throughout the session.
I will deal with the land reform review group in my speech, but I clarify that we fully expect to have interim findings by April next year, which will allow us to take the low-hanging fruit under current legislation and to see what measures we can take before the full report is issued in April 2014.
I thank the minister for that intervention, which helps us all and gives us the reassurance that we require.
If Gigha and the other communities that have bought out their estates have taught us anything, it is that community ownership leads to growth in communities. Jobs have been created and communities have been revitalised.
The most important part of land reform is that it puts the levers of economic generation into our communities’ hands and allows them to take charge of their future and that of generations to come. Many communities want that opportunity, so we must continue to make progress and to look for new ways to empower our communities.
13:06
I congratulate David Stewart on obtaining the debate and on its wide-ranging nature. We congratulate the people of Gigha—well done. In 10 years, their local economy has bucked the trend of 100 years. No matter what philanthropy took place in the past, a fundamental need is for people across this country who live on and own the land to be in charge.
That leads me to remind members that no political party has a monopoly on support for land reform. The Tory party effected the biggest land reform ever in these islands by turning tenant farmers in Ireland into owners. Never let us forget that, in many cases, other parties have a lot to learn. Long before the West Highland Free Press came into existence, a Labour secretary of state let down the people of Knoydart in 1948. That lesson has been learned.
The land reform review group must look at the complexity in the 2003 act that has hampered communities in accessing the ability to buy land and register interests. I believe that that part of the group’s work will be in the interim report that we will hear about, as the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee heard last week.
The strength of the debate is that it has been by and large consensual. Does the member recognise that, when Brian Wilson was a minister of state, he led the way on the land buyout at Knoydart?
I do not know the exact details, but I would be happy to debate them, and I am happy to welcome the work of all the people who have been involved in helping to make things happen. At the time of the Knoydart land raid, it was the Scottish National Party and the Communist Party that supported the men there.
Last night, I was at a play called “We Have Won the Land”, which is a Rural Nations production that played in Balallan three or four weeks ago and has toured around Scotland. The play is about community land ownership and about the difficulties for people who pick up such things. David Cameron and his wife saw the play, along with others. I hope that a lot of other people can see one of the final performances in Glasgow or Luss.
MSPs should have been at the play to see how the people of Gigha, as volunteers, had to face up to the personal and other problems that confront folk who give their time to such activities. One of the greatest messages from the play was that people overcame problems and could create on the fictional island of Murg the buyout that they wanted, with dancing ladies of their own.
Attacks by the right-wing press on community land buyouts, such as that on Eigg—as has been suggested, people from Eigg gave the people on Gigha a lot of advice—are appalling. As James Hunter has pointed out, the price of 600 yards of tramline in Edinburgh would be about the same as all the moneys that the Government has spent on supporting those initiatives. The point is that, over many years, money was not drawn down from public sources to support development in Gigha. It can be drawn down now, and I praise the opportunities that the Labour-Lib Dem and SNP Governments have created to ensure that that happens.
Does Rob Gibson agree that, when we consider the cost of assisting communities such as Gigha, we should also consider what the monumental cost of not assisting them could be in the future? We would have to continue to provide health and social care services even if the population of Gigha dwindled to a handful of people.
I ask Rob Gibson to start to conclude.
Thank you—I thought that, as I have taken interventions, I might get a little more time.
I am giving you a little more time.
Right—okay. That is five seconds of it done.
In our community of Evanton, there has recently been a community buyout by the Evanton Woods Community Company. It is part of a wider group of people who realised that owning one’s own land is important. The people of Gigha are being celebrated today, and they deserve that celebration from us. However, we must learn lessons from all the stories that have led us to this point and ensure that, in future, we turn the land of Scotland over to the people.
13:11
I thank David Stewart for giving us the opportunity to debate an important subject. In his opening remarks, he said that we have some half a million acres in community ownership. It may be as well to give a sense of perspective on that: 20 per cent of the Westminster constituencies in Scotland exceed that size.
We might have made a great advance from where we were, but there is a heck of a lot still to do. I welcome the formation of the new group that will look at what has been done in the past and seek to build on it.
I was an active and enthusiastic supporter of the 2003 act. Indeed, my greatest achievement was to add the single word “add” to the access provisions, which protected from obliteration the existing access rights and ensured that the new act only added to those rights. It took me a heck of a long time to get that, but there we are.
Jamie McGrigor suggested that there is no need for further legislation. I thought that Rob Gibson was quite uncharacteristically kind to the Tories in his contribution—during the passage of the 2003 act, Bill Aitken consistently described it as leading to a Mugabe land grab. I do not think that any members in the chamber—not even Jamie McGrigor—would suggest that that has happened. On the contrary, progress has perhaps been more glacial than we might have hoped that it would be.
The Isle of Gigha is God’s island—it has that name for good reason. I first visited it at five past 1 on 20 May 1993. Members might ask why that time is so accurate; it is because I flew in, so by looking at my log book I can see exactly when I landed.
I found an island in the feudal grip of a landowner who subsequently had to flee to Switzerland and was pursued by the authorities for money. It was not a happy experience. However, he built the landing strip, which had been open for some six weeks when I landed there.
It caused the islanders of Gigha no great grief when the landowner brought his own plane in—which was registered Golf-India-Golf-Hotel-Alpha because the registrations have five letters—and crashed it, writing it off on his own landing strip. That was no great tragedy whatsoever, as no one was injured.
Enormous changes have happened on Gigha. I read on the island’s website that there are now 13 children there. If only communities of that size around Scotland had that proportion of youngsters, because they are the foundations for the future of the community and guarantee the future of the school.
The website also says:
“We ... have virtually full employment on Gigha.”
We should move the whole of Scotland to Gigha—maybe that would be the answer.
Gigha has been blessed by nature. I flew into Gigha one February and found the tar melting on the roads and people sunbathing in their swimming costumes on the beach. However, the community—in particular, the McSporrans—has been absolutely key to changing the dynamic of Gigha. At the end of the day it is always about people, and the people of Gigha have risen to the challenge. What we, as politicians, must do is deconstruct the barriers and help them to do what they do best—manage their communities.
13:15
I associate myself with Claudia Beamish’s kind words regarding Andrew Riddell from East Lothian. We all share that sentiment.
I thank David Stewart for bringing this important subject for debate today. All the speeches have highlighted the transformational impact that the community ownership of land can have on communities, in this case on the Isle of Gigha. I congratulate the islanders and particularly the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust on their achievements and wish them every future success in their efforts to deliver a sustainable economic future for the island. Let it be an inspiration to all of us.
Gigha provides an excellent example of a community that recognises and grasps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Through determination and vision, it has succeeded in transforming its community. Gigha has developed a vibrant and enterprising community whose confidence in its future is increasing and, crucially, whose people are in control of their destiny. As we have heard, Gigha has an increasing population and “virtually full employment”, as Stewart Stevenson has just mentioned. It also has better housing and living conditions and a full community life in which the community and the people in it are brought together. I could go on.
However, Gigha is not alone. Other communities throughout Scotland have recognised the importance of community ownership for their future development and success, and they have taken steps towards community ownership of land and land assets. Community Land Scotland’s members, many of whom are in the Highlands and Islands, now have—as David Stewart said—some 500,000 acres of land in their ownership. That is 2.6 per cent of all the land in Scotland. Nevertheless, Stewart Stevenson is right to say that the Government would like to see more communities follow that example, and we have provided financial support for that process. To pick up on a point that was well made by John Mason, we want the process to extend to urban areas as well.
Let us remember that community ownership is not only for the Highlands and Islands, where the movement started. There is also a great deal of activity in lowland Scotland, and more than half of all the applications to register a community interest in land under the community right to buy are in the lowlands. They are scattered throughout the area, with some counties such as Perth, Renfrew, East Lothian and Roxburgh each having three or more registered interests. However, some counties—for example, Selkirk, Lanark and Kincardine—have none, and I therefore urge communities in lowland Scotland to consider seriously whether a community buyout would help to transform them, too. There are plenty of examples of communities from which to draw experience and inspiration, but there should be more.
Learning by example is important and was important for Gigha in the early stages of its buyout. As Claudia Beamish stated and other members have repeated, had a couple of residents not visited Eigg, where they were able to see the results of a buyout, Gigha’s future might have been quite different. As the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust notes on its website, “they came back inspired”. Ensuring that communities across Scotland share that inspiration is, therefore, important.
Community buyouts do not just happen; they take vision, dedicated individuals and teamwork, resilience, community support and resourcefulness. Communities also require support. A wide range of assistance is available to help communities through the process, and Gigha has acknowledged the important role that was played by the public sector, through Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Argyll and Bute Council, in funding the buyout as well as in providing assistance in developing its plans.
David Stewart asked about housing. The correspondence between my colleague Margaret Burgess, the new housing minister, and Mike Russell, the constituency member, indicates total funding from the Scottish Government and Argyll and Bute Council of about £2 million for refurbishing 29 houses. I am also aware of a current application for funding for new build on Gigha.
Support for communities continues to be an important theme that runs through community buyouts. There are significant resources to help communities through the process, whether from the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise or local authorities.
Does the minister agree that HIE’s social remit might be developed in South Scotland, for which he is a member, to give support throughout Scotland?
I agree that that could be considered. The business gateway and rural direct also work outside the Highlands and Islands. The land reform review group could, of course, consider support for land reform infrastructure from the enterprise networks, local authorities and others during its consideration of how further land reform can be promoted and secured, but that is for the group to decide. However, I share Claudia Beamish’s sentiment.
Let us not forget that we have a new Scottish land fund, which is jointly delivered by the Big Lottery Fund Scotland and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. In that respect, the funding landscape has changed since 2006, when the original land fund ended. The new land fund will deliver £6 million to rural communities throughout Scotland, not just in the Highlands and Islands. I anticipate that the first awards from the fund will be made in November.
To be technical about it, the land fund was mainstreamed into the HIE budget and the Scottish Enterprise budget. It did not disappear.
I take David Stewart’s point.
Once the first funding announcements are made, I will be particularly interested to hear about the communities involved and will watch how they develop their plans.
Much has already been achieved in the two decades since the crofters of the North Lochinver estate took their land into community ownership. Community land ownership has undergone a radical transformation in that time. Even when the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament in 2001, the policy memorandum stated:
“Community ownership is still comparatively rare, though there have been several developments in the past 5 years.”
However, much can still be done, and community land ownership has much potential to contribute to the present and future success of Scotland. There is an increasing body of evidence, including work by Sarah Skerratt and others, that shows that community land ownership has an important role to play in the long-term stewardship of, investment in and growth of Scotland’s communities. In addition, the opportunity could be extended to urban communities through the proposed community empowerment and renewal bill. We need to take forward the debate on land reform for the coming generations.
I appreciate that my time is running short, but I want to highlight the fact that I met the land reform review group and the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment this week to discuss the group’s work plan.
If we are to make full use of the potential of land reform—including community buyouts of land—it is important that we be radical, and I reassure members that the review is, rightly, intended to be radical. I look forward to hearing the review group’s evidence.
I urge anyone who has an interest in land reform to submit evidence to the review and contribute to the debate on land reform. The review group has announced its remit and is publishing details of its work plan. I also hope that, for the benefit of the Parliament, it will shortly publish details of the advisers that it has appointed.
I commend David Stewart’s motion and thank him for bringing the issues to the Parliament.
That concludes David Stewart’s debate on the Isle of Gigha—10 years of pioneering land reform. Before I suspend the meeting, I remind members that we will reconvene at 2.15 pm.
13:23
Meeting suspended.
14:15
On resuming—