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Featured Topics
- Rural Scotland In Focus Report 2010
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- Read the report
Thriving Communities
Rural Scotland is diverse - from remote islands to accessible areas within a short drive of our cities. The communities in these areas are diverse too, with differing demographics, local economies and varying access to infrastructure and services. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to ensuring they thrive.
Q1: Do rural-urban links matter?
A: Rural and urban areas are increasingly strongly inter-linked in terms of the movement of migrants and tourists into rural areas and the movement of people, food and other natural resources out of rural areas to support our cities. Policies, strategies and partnerships need to recognise the extent of these relationships and address issues such as affordable housing and health care.
For more information
Q2: How do we strengthen the rural economy?
A: Rural economies are much more diverse than in the past and have shown greater resilience to the current recession than urban economies. There are many opportunities for further strengthening rural economies, by creating new businesses in forestry, tourism, renewable energy, ‘local’ food and drink and professional and business services. Good IT infrastructure, housing and access to finance and business advice are vital in supporting rural businesses.
For more information
- Rural Scotland in Focus Report – Section 2
- Primary Land-based Business Study
- Farming’s Retreat from the Hills
Q3: How are rural Scotland’s communities changing?
A: Overall, the population is growing faster than in the towns and cities. The fastest growth is in accessible rural areas, especially due to the in-migration of young families. Yet some remote areas are still experiencing population decline and out-migration. Scotland’s rural population is also ageing fast, particularly in remote areas. These changes create area-specific challenges and opportunities for economic activity, service provision, housing, healthcare and community engagement.
For more information
- Rural Policy Centre Research Report on The implications of changing public sector budgets for rural Scotland
- Rural Policy Centre Research Briefing on The vulnerability of small towns in Scotland
- SAC Rural Scotland in Focus Report – Sections 1 and 3
- SAC Special Study on Rural Poverty
- SAC Research Report: Hot Spots and Not Spots - addressing infrastructure and service provision through combined approaches in rural Scotland
- Consultation response: Tackling Poverty, Inequality and Deprivation in Scotland
- Scottish Government Rural Scotland Key Facts 2010
- Scottish Government literature review on factors affecting rural migration decisions
- Culture and Policies: Helping or Hindering Rural Social Enterprises in Service Provision? (Published by UHI Centre for Rural Health)
Q4: What is the future for infrastructure and services?
A: Delivering vital infrastructure and services in rural areas – primarily health, housing and broadband - can be costly and challenging due to factors including distance and difficult terrain, the dispersed population and difficulties in recruiting skilled staff. There are examples of innovation in rural service delivery, through IT, mobile services or joint provisioning arrangements. These approaches require a strategic approach by the public, private and voluntary sectors.
For more information
- Rural Policy Centre Policy Briefing on Mobile phone coverage in rural Scotland
- Rural Policy Centre Policy Briefing on Fuel prices in rural Scotland
- Rural Scotland in Focus Report – Section 3
- Community Facilities in Rural Scotland: an SAC study of their use, provision and condition
- SAC Learning and Skills
- SAC’s involved in rural development
Q5: How can people get involved?
A: Community-led initiatives often have the best local ‘fit’ but the voices of all must be heard if they are to work successfully. Various policies and mechanisms encourage local engagement - like community asset purchase/management, community planning partnerships and single outcome agreements - but their success depends on both institutional and community ability to act. Public spending cuts may constrain activity or, conversely, encourage more locally-led initiatives.
For more information
- Rural Policy Centre Research Report on Community land ownership and community resilience
- Rural Scotland in Focus Report – Section 4
- Scottish Enterprise and Agriculture (includes Rural Leadership Programme)
10 Key Facts About Rural Communities
- Rural Scotland is home to approximately 20% of the population, or 1 million people.
- The population of accessible rural areas increased by 11% between 2001 and 2009, compared to 5.7% in remote rural areas and 1.2% in the rest of Scotland.
- Nine of the 10 local authorities with the largest older populations are rural – in Dumfries & Galloway, Eilan Siar and South Ayrshire more than a fifth of the populations are over 65.
- Primary sector industries employ a greater proportion of people in remote rural (17%) and accessible rural (12%) areas, than in the rest of Scotland (0.4%).
- The public sector accounts for 17% of employment in remote rural areas, 20% in accessible rural areas, and around a quarter of employment in the rest of Scotland.
- The service sector makes up 47% of remote rural and 47% of accessible rural employment, less than in the rest of Scotland (60%) but still important.
- Remote rural areas have 496 businesses per 10,000 adults, compared to 448 in accessible rural areas and 321 in the rest of Scotland.
- Unemployment rates (the number of people unemployed as a percentage of all those who are economically active, of all ages) are lower in rural Scotland (4% in remote, 4% in accessible) than in the rest of Scotland (9%).
- More households in rural areas are classed as being fuel poor (29% in remote rural and 23% in accessible rural) or extreme fuel poor (20% remote rural, 19% accessible rural) than in the rest of Scotland (22% fuel poor, 8% extreme fuel poor).
- In rural Scotland, more people give up their time to help as a volunteer/organiser (47% remote, 37% accessible) than in the rest of Scotland (27%). The highest rate of volunteering was observed for people aged 16-64 in remote rural areas (50%).
Source: Rural Scotland Key Facts 2011 – Scottish Government, 2011