Highland Liberal Democrats want new law to strengthen rural areas and defend against centralisation as a mainland equivalent of the Islands Act
Proposals for a new law that compels better government treatment of rural communities while protecting them against “creeping centralisation” is set to be tabled and potentially introduced in the next Scottish Parliament.
The aim is to “rural proof” government policy by ensuring laws are subject to a Rural Communities Impact Assessment and requires government ministers to regularly report on the wellbeing and sustainability of rural communities.
Liberal Democrat candidate David Green (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) is behind the plan, he is backed by Andrew Baxter (the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch hopeful) and they will submit it for approval at the party conference tomorrow.
Party members will also debate calls on the Scottish Government to enable a review of the shape and size of rural local authorities – a campaign launched by Mr Baxter who wants Highland Council broken-up.
If the conference agrees the plans, it may be a bitter pill for the SNP to swallow as it stems in part from two well-known SNP MSPs but without support their ideas died on the vine.
Back in 2019 former far north MSP Gail Ross sought to bring a version of the Islands Act to the rural mainland which experiences many of the same problems but she stepped down two years later.
The Islands Act compelled the government to plan to improve outcomes, factor island communities into policy, carry out impact assessments and boost elected representation.
Though even poor road connections have been more reliable than ferries to the islands, poor connectivity both physical and online remains an issue, unreliable or non-existent public transport and insufficient local health services.
And one of the chief complaints was: centralisation of services and decision-making away from rural areas.
The second proposal to reduce the size of the Council which extends from the Morvern Peninsula in the south west to John O’Groats in the north east was famously suggested by Kate Forbes.
They are not alone. The Building a Local Scotland democratic reform campaign group found Scotland suffers from “creeping centralisation” and is “one of the least locally governed countries in the world”.
And former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the thinktank he founded said Scotland is “one of the most centralised nations in Europe.”
Mr Green said: "Fundamentally, the battle we face in the Highlands is with a government in Edinburgh that for too long has opted to centralise as if it was muscle memory.
"The best decisions are made as close to people as possible. It is an acceptance that communities, not politicians, are often best placed to make decisions on the issues that impact them.
"That is why I am advocating for legislation that will deliver great local accountability and a more responsive government. It is about ending a one-size-fits-all culture, whether that is imposed from Edinburgh or Inverness."
He added: “The Highlands is bursting with potential, but too often our communities have been forgotten and left behind. Those of us living in the Highlands know that the SNP’s one-size-fits-all approach fails to adequately account for rural needs.
“From the centralisation of the police to the ferry fiasco and the ill-judged attempt to impose Highly Protected Marine Areas, we have seen this SNP government make a catalogue of decisions that run against the interests of Highland communities.”
“Quite frankly, this SNP government has a broken relationship with rural Scotland.”
While Mr Baxter said: “Highland Council covers an area almost the size of Belgium. People living in Skye, Wick and Aviemore don’t necessarily have exactly the same interests.
“Meanwhile it is distant SNP ministers in Edinburgh who are making decisions about what local services should look like. That’s not good enough.
“The Scottish Government should work with councils to enable a review of the shape and size of rural local authorities - subject to their request - and funding formulas to ensure local services are properly resourced and meet the needs of local communities.
“If communities want to see local authorities broken up, then they should be able to decide that for themselves.”