Charities unite in call to action on land reform

SCVO media release 9 June 2014 For immediate release NEED TO LEAVE BEHIND SCOTLAND’S ARCHAIC SYSTEM & HAVE FAIRER DISTRIBUTION OF LAND Five third sector organisations have joined forces to urge the Scottish Government to take early and decisive action on land reform. They have voiced their strong support for the recommendations contained in the recent report by the Scottish Government’s Land Reform Review Group, The Land of Scotland and the Common Good. Scottish Community Alliance, Community Woodlands Association, Development Trusts Association Scotland, Community Land Scotland and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) have published a joint briefing describing the report as a route to greater fairness and social justice in Scotland. Felix Spittal, Policy Officer, SCVO said: “It’s a measure of the importance of this issue that these five diverse organisations have joined forces to urge the Scottish Government to take action. “Scotland’s land ownership patterns are unusual and archaic. We have the highest concentration of private land ownership in Europe. “We’re all working to support communities across Scotland to secure sustainable futures, and we all believe that community control of land and assets is central to that ambition. “We are united in our support for the key principles of the report and in particular the underpinning principle that land is a finite and crucial resource. It should be used and owned in the public interest and for the common good. Jon Hollingdale, Chief Executive, Community Woodlands Association, said: “We are calling on the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs Committee to throw their weight behind the report’s recommendations and for the Scottish Government to use the forthcoming Community Empowerment Bill to make early progress on implementing the report’s recommendations. “The report is a game-changer in the debate on land ownership. The Scottish Government commissioned it and funded it – now they must act decisively on its recommendations.” ENDS Notes to editors: 1. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national body representing the interests of charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. The Scottish third sector turns over £4.9 billion a year and employs 138,000 people in over 45,000 organisations 2. The Land Reform Review Group’s Report is available from the Scottish Government website 3. Please also see new blog on the land reform report and new bill  4. For more details, please contact Charlotte McNeill, Communications & Press Officer, SCVO on 0779 060 1995