Dave Thompson MSP

The Scottish Government Land Reform Review Group has hailed the growth in community land ownership as a “Scottish success story”.

In acknowledging the report, Dave Thompson MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch stated: "I welcome the comprehensive report which covers a wide range of land reform issues”.

Dave commented: “The report’s proposals attempt to make it easier for more people in rural and urban Scotland to have a stake in the ownership, governance and management of the land”.

He went further: “Land is a finite resource that should be used in the public interest and for the common good.  This is an ethos I agree with, which is why I used the recent Rural Affairs Climate Change and Environmental Committee (RACCEC) meeting to raise the issue of devolving the administration of Crown Estate right down to local council and community level”.

He concluded: “I look forward to supporting proposals by the Land Reform Review Group that attempt to enhance the relationships between the land, the people, the economy and the environment in Scotland and to any future positive discussions over the devolution of the Crown Estate”.

Notes:

The Report from the Land Reform Group, “The Land of Scotland and the Common Good” can be found at the following link:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0045/00451083.pdf

The full report from the recent RACCEC can be found here:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28862.aspx?r=9231&mode=pdf